Photography Training

Studio Volution

2011-06-13T18:53:00.001+01:00

If you are following this blog can I please invite you to move on over to Studio Volution which is where all the updates are appearing now - www.studiovolution.blogspot.com

You can also follow us on Facebook - www.facebook.com/studiovolution

New Photography Workshops for 2011 in Liverpool Announced!

2011-02-22T11:39:00.000Z

Please visit this link for information on photography workshops in Liverpool for 2011.

What's Happening?

2010-09-23T12:07:00.000+01:00

Those of you that visit this blog regularly are probably wondering what's happening - well, at Zoe Photography we are undergoing some changes, and as a result all photography training is suspended for the time being. Zoe will be doing some guests spots, but there will be no training under the Dovecote Training banner for now.

Thank you for supporting us here at Dovecote Training, and keep your eye open for the guest training sessions that Zoe will be doing around the country.

Makeup Artists at Weddings

2010-08-22T17:43:00.002+01:00

Weddings are such lovely days to be involved with, aren't they? It's so nice being part of the bride's big day, having a natter as you apply her makeup, a little giggle with the girls as they get in the party mood. What fun! And then suddenly the time has run out, everything is in a hurry, the bride is having to dash into her dress, she's annoyed with the photographer for not getting a photograph of her and her mum, but hey, you were booked to do both of them and the two bridesmaids, it's not your fault! And there's still an hour to go before the ceremony.

As a photographer I see this happening all too often, and now I have become quite strict about when the makeup artist must be finished - that way when she's running late, working too slow, the timings of the day are not put out too much, and there is still time to get all the photographs that the bride expects to be taken before the ceremony. Taking the photographs all day at a wedding means that I'm the only vendor (usually) who is around from the start to the end of the day, and so I'm generally the only vendor booked for the day who knows how one or other vendors can affect the wedding.

But what I find interesting in talking with makeup artists is that the training they receive in bridal makeup instructs them to work in such a way that they are almost guaranteed to muck up the day before the ceremony, and can often be the sole reason for making the bride panic, stress out, or be late. It seems that many of the teachers of makeup artists tell their students to say to the bride "I'll do you last, love, you just chill out, enjoy a glass of champagne while I do the other girls, and we'll do you last." WHAT!!!! If the makeup artist is running late a bridesmaid can apply her own makeup! If a bridesmaid has to rush into her dress, well, let's face it, it's not that big a deal! It's not her day, afterall!

So here's my plea to makeup artists - please, please, please don't take on too much. Don't try to do everyone if there just isn't enough time in the morning. The photographer probably needs to be leaving the bride's house a good hour before the ceremony time, allowing for travel time, and time to photograph the groom and his groomsmen. And as the bride needs photographs taking too, as well as time to get into her dress, this means that you need to have finished applying makeup around 2 hours before the ceremony time to allow for the day to run smoothly. If the ceremony time is midday, you need to be packed up and gone by 10am.

And another thing - you are NOT the bride's mate (unless you are, of course :D ) and so it's not your job to be entertaining her. You have a job to do and please concentrate on it! When the photographer arrives they are arriving to take photographs, not watch you work.

OK, I know, this sounds stroppy, but this year alone I have photographed 5 weddings that ended up running very late because the makeup artist thought she knew better, and worked at a nice, slow, steady pace. One bride was nearly half an hour late, all because the makeup artist didn't understand how they were impacting on the day. Another bride missed out on the photographs with her mum, because the makeup artist was still doing the mum and bridesmaids' makeup 15 minutes after I should have left.

So I'm sorry for being stroppy, but seriously, it's the bride's day, no-one else's, except maybe the grooms, of course. And as vendors it's our job to make sure we add to the day in a positive way, not add to the stress of the day. Come on Miss Makeup Artist, please think about the bigger picture, consider how the bride feels, listen to her when she says that you need to be finished with everyone 2 hours before the ceremony.

And photographers, you can help the bride by telling her to be ready to get into her dress 2 hours before the ceremony - or if she's a long way from the church or venue, then 2 hours before she needs to leave.

Effective Training for Photography Trainers

2010-06-06T17:35:00.005+01:00

"Hey, guess what, I've been a photographer for a couple of years or so now and I guess it's time for me to start training others as photographers! I mean, training can't be that hard, and I know most of what I'm doing with my camera. I know my posing is a bit questionable at times, and sometimes I make mistakes at the weddings I shoot, but no-one will know I've corrected those mistakes in Photoshop. You know, these people who want to learn, they know less than me, and as long as I stay one step or so ahead of them, well, I can blag it! Anyway, how hard can it be to train others how to become a wedding and portrait photographer?"

With 25 years experience behind me of designing and delivering training courses, along with a Masters degree in Learning I am often amazed to hear photographers moan about inexperienced amateur/semi-pro photographers blagging it with brides that they can shoot a wedding when they've never done one before, and then those self same photographers think that they can set up training courses when they have no knowledge of how to run any form of learning process.

Now let's face it, me commenting that everyone wants to be a trainer is hardly going to stop photographers offering themselves up as the next best thing in photography training, so I thought I'd offer some tips to wannabe photography trainers in order to protect the unsuspecting student when they pick their favourite workshop.

So if you're setting yourself up to do some form of photography training, what kind of things do you need to consider? Firstly, it's helpful to know what it is you are going to do - trying to be all things to all people is likely to get you into a mess, so be clear where your expertise lies and concentrate on that. This is in the context of both subject matter and delivery style. By that I mean that you need to know if you are better as a facilitator of learning (you create an environment through which the student can learn towards their own specific needs using their transferable knowledge and skills), or as a trainer (you guide the student through their learning, helping them to understand what and how to do something, without getting into the why) or as a teacher (you take an active role in telling people as you educate them in a structured process). Each of these styles of delivery requires a different set of skills and as an educator you need to be aware of what your skills are, so that you can focus your delivery towards the most appropriate learning process.

Let's assume then that you know what your skills are as an educator. Next you need to be clear about how you are going to deliver the information - what is your structure, how will you pace delivery, what will you introduce to create variety and retain the learner's attention (we can apparently only take in around 12 minutes of information before our minds start to wander), what level of challenge will you bring in, and what exercises will you use?

It's noticable that a lot of photography trainers think that it is sufficient to tell the participants something, demonstrate it and then leave them to experiment - but is this enough? Does it lead to true learning? When you are working out your course structure make sure that you include time for instruction, for discussion, for demonstration, for experimentation, for review and reflection, and also for some level of risk and discomfort to push the participants' boundaries.

If you are doing training for groups you will also need to consider the group dynamics, how people interact, what happens when someone takes over with their views, questions or comments, and how the power dynamics will work within the group. As the workshop or course leader you need to be able to be in control of the group, and be able to handle any issues that arise, including your own nerves.

And finally for now, it is critical that you design appropriate exercises for people to be able to learn, along with procedures for keeping exercises on track. Make sure that your exercises have a purpose to them that is more than about giving yourself a break from the group. Consider how you create moments of learner autonomy to encourage the learner to take charge of themselves in the learning process, and ensure that there is a mix of experimentation, risk and analysis so that the learner can use the exercise effectively.

If you are a learner, looking for training, make sure you have checked out the credentials of the trainer - they may well be able to take reasonable or even good photographs, but are they really able to teach you what you need to know? Remember to do your research before you book your place and part with your money!

QUICKIE: I'm a Specialist

2010-05-14T08:19:00.003+01:00

"I'm a specialist, you know - a really good specialist in fact. I specialise in weddings, portraits, baby photography, events, fine art, pet photography, fashion, sports, boudoir, landscapes and pregnancy shoots. Oh, and for weddings I shoot reportage, classical weddings, trash the dress, traditional and candid."

Have you ever caught yourself - or noticed it with other photographers - with a long list of specialisms? Anything longer than 2 or 3 things means you are no longer a specialist, you are a generalist who turns your hand to anything. And your potential clients, the people you are marketing yourself to will notice this. If someone genuinely wants a specialist to do some work for them, then they'll look for a specialist. My experience from my early days when I was trying to be all things to all people suggests that when clients see that you 'specialise' in a lot of things, then they are likely to have one expectation - you will be cheap!

And as a specialist, clients expect you to be an expert in your field - are you an expert? If not, what are you going to do to become an expert, a trusted specialist who shows top quality work in your specialism? I love Bella West's work with young children and the way she uses light - it's truly beautiful, and it's very obvious she is an expert in her specialism of children's portraiture. The same can be said of Kevin Wilson and the way he uses light in weddings. (By the way, watch out for our review of Kevin's 'The Art of Fellowship' DVD coming soon.)

So, do you really want to be a specialist? Or are you content attempting to be all things to all people? It's a simple choice.

Inspiration

2010-05-01T10:13:00.002+01:00

I don't need inspiration, I have my own ideas - at least, that's what I'm told by some photographers. That's fabulous, amazing in fact! How fab to have so many creative ideas you don't need inspiration from others, from any other aspect of life. Incredible! So why is it that all your photographs are a bit flat and boring? They all look the same to me. Oh, right, so that's your style .... hmmmm.

There again, I've come across those that tell me that they have created their own style, their own special, unique, inspirational style of photographs .... er, haven't I seen that somewhere before? Oh, right, I see, you've put your own twist on a photograph that Jerry G created, right!

Honestly, I don't think any of us can afford to stop being inspired, however long we've been in the industry, but equally, we need to watch how the inspiration creeps into what we do, making sure it is inspiration, and not copying.

I use a range of things for inspiration - I love watching movies and some mainly US TV shows for ideas of what to shoot and how to shoot. For example, I love CSI Miami and the way that they do tight crops and use negative space. The separation is fabulous too as are the colours. Some music videos can also be great for getting ideas from, such as those created for Christina Aguilera.

I also use art for inspiration, looking at how artists use light, composition and posing. There is a fabulous painting in The Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool, called The Death of Nelson which is full of inspiration around use of layers, linking of subjects, and lighting, as well as posing. I also love the work of Edward Hopper and Jack Vettriano, as well as the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, particularly John Everett Millais.

And then there are other photographers - I love some of the great masters of photography, such as Norman Parkinson, Cecil Beaton, Henri Cartier Bresson, Eve Arnold to name just a few, as well as contemporary photographers. I find Annie Liebovitz's Hollywood covers fabulous for inspiration around photographing groups and creating links between subjects, and Mario Testino's lively groups are just amazing!

But there are other photographers whose work I get inspiration from who are not out there in the media as 'famous' photographers, yet just as worthy. Take a look at Kevin Wilson, Bella West, Julia Boggio, Parker J Pfister, Johannes van Kan.

And then, of course, people watching has to be one of the most inspirational things we can do, as we watch people doing what they do naturally. So next time you find yourself saying you don't look at other photographers for inspiration, that you don't copy others when really you do, that you have loads of ideas, just ask yourself this .... if this is what I am able to do when I don't look for inspiration outwith myself, how good might I be if I did look for inspiration? Maybe, just maybe, you could exceed your own expectations!

Proprioception and Photography

2010-04-20T14:42:00.006+01:00

I have got me a personal trainer - it's just as well he's got a cute smile or I might swing for him with how hard he makes me work. Mind you, I have no energy left at the end of a session so I probably couldn't swing for him! Apparently, if I keep this up, I'm going to have the body of a 35 year old woman! Rob's not complaining about that!

Anyway, Lewis (that's my personal trainer's name - can't call him 'Cute Smile' all through this blog post!) keeps going on about proprioception, and getting my muscles, my whole body to know what it's doing, to have memory so that it can act in an unconscious manner. Proprioception is like a sixth sense and we use it constantly to let us know where our body is in space, to keep us balanced, and to help us react unconsciously. Now, as I still don't know my left from my right (and I'm nearly 50!), and my co-ordination is pretty hopeless, I think this might be a tall order for Lewis, but he's persevering with me!

So what's this got to do with photography, I hear you ask. Well, it got me thinking, in my usual manner, about the proprioception of many photographers, or rather the lack of it - you know the ones, those that have about 6 weddings booked for the year, and practice their new techniques .... at those 6 weddings, making mistakes, spoiling someone's big day, but earning themselves £500 just to discover the album the couple wants costs them £475. Damn those quality products!

These photographers without proprioception, photographers with no sixth sense related to their photography skills, are constantly fiddling with their camera, or for assurances sake, they set it on P and hope for the best. They take a shot, it doesn't look right, they make an adjustment, take a shot, still doesn't look right, make some further adjustments, still doesn't look right, and then just decide to wing it and change things afterwards in photoshop. Now, before some of you go up in arms thinking I'm making a dig at part-timers, I'm not, I'm simply identifying how some people work, be they full or part time photographers (though the majority who work this way probably are part-timers).

If this is you, and you know you want to change, how do you get off P and develop proprioception? Well, it doesn't happen by accident - when I walk into a room and gauge what the light level is at, set my camera, and discover it's near as damn it spot on, that didn't happen by accident. It happened by developing that sixth sense, the sense that tells my brain to tell my fingers exactly what to do without a great deal of conscious thought - oh believe me, the thought is still going on, just not at a conscious level.

So there is only one thing for it, if you are going to develop proprioception in relation to your camera you need to practice, practice, practice until movements with your fingers on the buttons on your camera become second nature. Practice noticing the light and assessing what settings you need to use, practice noticing the things in the background so that you don't have to fix it afterwards in photoshop, practice how many turns of the dial you need to do when moving between the outside and the church. Make everything you do second nature, and before you know it, you will have developed proprioception in relation to all your photography.

And if you doubt me when it comes to proprioception, next time you walk away from your car having left someone sitting in the passenger seat, notice how difficult it is NOT to set the alarm, or when you need to get the key in the ignition on a dark night, spot the way your hand goes automatically to the right place. That's proprioception!

So, on with the training then, just 50 more lunges to do! Oh boy, my legs are killing me!

Race for Life 2010

2010-04-15T20:04:00.005+01:00

I'm doing the Race for Life on Thursday 8th July and I'd love if you can spare a £1 or so to sponsor me and support Cancer Research UK. Just click below and you will be taken to my sponsorship page. Thank you in advance - I'm sure all of us know someone who has been affected by cancer, and many of you may have been affected personally. Thankfully more and more people are getting the help and support that they need much earlier than used to happen, and many of those with cancer survive and go on to live full lives. Let's work together to raise more funds to help others in the future.

Thank you in advance!

QUICKIE: Trust in Business

2010-04-09T20:34:00.004+01:00

I stopped for petrol this evening - I was pretty desperate for it as I'm sure I was running on air! So I pulled into a petrol station, took the petrol cap off, pulled out the nozzle and waited for the attendant to press the button to start the pump running. And I waited. Eventually I looked over to the shop and the girl points at a sign - a big sign, so don't ask me how I came to miss it! The sign said 'PAY BEFORE FILLING'. It stopped me in my tracks.

The sign was suggesting that I was untrustworthy - sure, I know that the petrol company has probably had some people who have driven off without paying at some time or another, but to suggest to ALL customers that they can't be trusted, that didn't feel good. So I trusted on air, got back in the car, and hoped beyond hope that the air in the tank would get me to another petrol station soon!

And as I drove off it got me thinking about trust in business. As a photographer I am always asking clients to put their trust in me, and I'm sure many of you do that too in order to get the best out of your clients when you photograph them. But can our clients trust us? Do we deliver and behave in a manner that encourages trust?

I was once bitten by an incident with clients who begged me to order some parent albums in time for Christmas although they wouldn't be able to pay until the time that the albums arrived, but if I didn't put in the order the albums wouldn't arrive in time for Christmas. I trusted the clients ... and you guessed it, they didn't pay. And so for a while I felt that I wanted to treat every client as if they were going to 'do me over'! Thankfully though, over time I have returned to the behaviours that are true to me, and that show clients that they can trust me because I trust them first.

When you look at your business, do you find yourself doing things that demonstrate a lack of trust whilst asking clients to trust you? Ask yourself why you do each part of your business, and you may surprise yourself to discover that you too are asking clients to 'PAY BEFORE FILLING'.

Oh, and the good news, not only did I manage to reach a different petrol station that was happy to dispense petrol before I paid, but it was also 4p per litre cheaper!

The Album Designer's Guide to Easy Album Design

2010-03-23T19:57:00.007Z

Most couples want an album to showcase their images in after their wedding, and what a wonderful time to be living in with such a wealth of album styles, sizes, covers! So as photographers it's our job to make sure that they have the kind of album that suits their wedding, right? But with more and more photographers selling disks of images, brides think they can do it themselves - afterall, all it takes is a template, a quick drag and drop of 100 pictures, a click of a button and poof! You're done, album arrives a week later on the doorstep and looks a-m-a-zing ... ah, amazingly naff!

So here's a quick guide to album design for every photographer that just KNOWS that producing an album is a doddle, and doesn't understand what the fuss is all about! (And for those missing a sense of humour, this is a tongue in cheek look at album designing!)

Firstly, give absolutely no consideration to the album when shooting the wedding - I mean, what's the point of that? Who on earth knows what's going into the album afterwards? It's just way too much effort to even think of the album during the wedding. Now, let's just get on and take 2,000 photographs - there's bound to be a good image or two in there somewhere!

Next, having learned a bit about Photoshop, process all the images with different techniques - a bit of black and white here, some saturation there, spot colouring here and there, a little bit of sepia here, oh, and how about a touch of desaturation on those images over there? This is so cool, all of these different techniques you can do in Photoshop!

Now, let the couple pick all the photographs that they like without any input from you - it's their album, so they should pick everything that goes into it, right? It doesn't matter what they pick because it's their wedding, their memories.

As for the album design - that's easy. Just look at what you can do with this template software! You can put photographs onto the page as a background, either full or reduced opacity and then add another 6 photographs on top! And then look at this, you can use all kinds of fancy borders, add a bit of white vignette, a red keyline on these photographs, and a blue one on those, and you can change the colour of the background too! Wow, classy!

Oh, now, wait a mo, here's something that's cool! You can put 5 photographs on this page - let's just tilt this one to the left, and that one to the right a bit. And then look here, you can put one big photograph and 8 little ones around it on the page, whilst on the following page you can put in a few overlapping images. Your clients will just love the fact that they get 200 images in a 20 page album!

OK, so maybe there is a teensy weensy need to just say a little about album design from a serious perspective, taking that tongue well out of the cheek.

Why shoot for the album? Well, when you do that you make sure you have images that will work together on the page - the direction the people are facing, the colour schemes, the context. I always view it as being that there are 3 elements for each part of the story - the establishing shot (giving an indication of what the story is about over the spread), the context, and the detail.

What about the Photoshop work? Do you know what your style is? Although it's possible to create all kinds of Photoshop styles in your work, it helps to have a coherence across your images so that the images all work together.

When it comes to the picking of the images, whilst your clients want the album to reflect their day, they are not experts in wedding photography, it's your job to be the expert, both in the taking of the photographs that tell the story of their wonderful day, and in the album design that shows off the story of the day in the best way possible. The most effective picking approach is to give your clients a choice of options - they can pick all the images themselves; they can tell you the images they love and the images they hate and leave you to pick from those they love; they can tell you the images they hate and leave you to pick from the rest of the image; or they leave you complete freedom to design the album. Most of my clients go for the third option, telling me the images not to go in the album. They have the opportunity to proof the album design before it goes to print.

As for the use of templates for your album design, use them sparingly - just because the software contains 20 different borders, 40 different page designs, and the ability to overlap, use different coloured keylines, drop images on the background, you don't have to use them all! Always remember KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid! The best designs are the ones that have clarity and simplicity to them - more is less. Decide on a design style that suits your style of photography and fits with your business, and stick to it.

Most people say it takes them best part of a year of shooting weddings to also get a handle on how to design wedding albums - so at every opportunity practice, practice and then practice some more! Work out how you want your albums to look, and start shooting for the album; decide on the orientation of the album, the sizes you'll work with, and stick with them, and identify the kind of design style that works for you and work at mastering making that style look good!

And next time you catch yourself saying that design is easy, remember, anyone can make an album, but only an expert can design a beautiful book that will be cherished forever as it narrates the story of the couple's day. You owe it to your couple to do more than throw a few pictures into a book. Become an album design expert, and allow your couples to enjoy the most beautiful book of memories for a lifetime.

Keep it Real!

2010-03-19T22:58:00.002Z

In life there are so many things that we can't and don't understand - like why I ate that bar of chocolate when I was only going to a a piece, or why I didn't go out for a run when I said I would? What about why I gave up a good paying job with a regular salary to become a photographer? Or why we all have our own rituals we play out when going on a shoot? How do we blend our innate skill with the teaching we receive to create beautiful images? We could let these mysteries hang in the air, unanswered, or we could Keep it Real as we search for our own answers and grow.

This weekend at Dovecote Training we will be announcing details of Keep it Real - your journey in search of your own blend of innate skill and nurtured talent taking you to the level of photography and business that today exists only in your imagination.

Remember, if you dared to take the kind of photographs you are capable of taking you would astound yourself at what you can achieve. And if you dared to have success in your business at the level you are capable of, you'd develop a level of wealth beyond your dreams!

More information in our announcement this weekend!

Exciting Announcement! New Photography Training

2010-03-19T22:20:00.002Z

This weekend an exciting announcement will be made about opportunities to learn and grow as a photographer with Zoe and various experts in 2010! Watch this space over the weekend for news!

Help for Heroes Photography Training Weekend

2010-03-16T08:47:00.002Z

Did you miss my recent photography workshops and wish you could have got along? Well don't worry, you don't have to wait long!

This coming weekend I am speaking at the Help for Heroes event in Leeds - it's a packed weekend of training at rock bottom prices with all profits going to the Help for Heroes charity. The trainers like myself are putting our time in free of charge to help keep the profits as high as possible. So come on photographers, if you want to have some low cost high value training then this weekend is for you! More info: http://tinyurl.com/yebwdyy

And if you're a party animal, then don't miss the Help for Heroes party on Saturday night for just £25!

The last Help for Heroes photography training event held on just one day raised nearly £1,500, so we all hope we can top that over a weekend.

Get in touch with Mark through his website (details above) to book your place today - and no going off to get on with other things ... book now!

The Business of Photography

2010-03-09T19:54:00.004Z

Setting up a business in photography is quite easy - setting up a successful business in photography is a bit harder! How do you decide what prices to charge? What are the legalities you need to be aware of? How do you make a profit? What paperwork can make my life easier as a photographer? How do you make sales and marketing work for you? What do you need to do make sure your business moves on from being a start up business? What things work and are worth investing in, and what things are a complete waste of money?

This workshop on The Business of Photography is one you can't afford to miss - for an investment of just £75 you can learn things that will stop you wasting £100's if not £1000's! Can you afford to miss it?

The workshop takes place this coming Sunday, 14th March (yeah, I know, Mothers Day, but hey, Mother will be happy to hear this is a workshop that makes sure you SAVE money!) and will be at our beautiful base in Knowsley Village, near Liverpool, close to all transport options.

Make sure you book your place now and work towards running a successful business from today! zoe@zoephotography.co.uk or phone 0151 546 4411 during office hours.

Being in Control of the Wedding

2010-03-09T19:44:00.002Z

Ever wondered how some photographers manage to control the day so that they capture all the images that the clients want, and more? Do you want to increase your sales through creating the most amazing images in a relaxed manner without feeling pressured, AND without taking over the time the couple have with their guests?

Being in Control of the Wedding is the kind of workshop I wish had been around when I started out in wedding photography - which is why I went out, learned everything I could, and now offer the workshop for other photographers! Over the years I have discovered that there are some simple things that can make a huge difference, all based on having systems and structures that work, as well as understanding the wedding industry so well that there is little that can happen to surprise me.

On this one day workshop I cover a range of tips and techniques that can make a huge difference to the way you handle your booking meetings, through to ensuring you understand how to make the day itself a fabulous success, which of course leads to referrals and recommendations.

The workshop is this Saturday, and there are still a handful of places left! We will start at 9.30am and finish at 4.30pm, and it's all for just £75. The workshop will take place at my wonderful location in Knowsley Village, close to the motorway network, airport and mainline station.

Get in touch now to secure your place! zoe@zoephotography.co.uk

The Photographer Tribes

2010-03-04T19:43:00.008Z

Over the years I've noticed that there are a number of different photographer tribes! Recognise yourself in any?

The 'Er-Wazzat-Then?' Tribe
I've got a new camera - I've just got the camera out of the box and the shoot starts in 15 minutes, but's it's ok, I'm sure I can get by, I mean, how much more difficult is a Canon 5D Mark II to use than a point and shoot? What's this button? Bugger, I seem to be taking loads of video. Anyone know how to turn this off? Oh look, there's a whole lot of creative settings here, and I can just set the camera to Auto. Phew, everything's going to be ok!

The Brand-Junky Tribe
Apple have brought out a new product, it's called the iNeedit - it's not clear what it is yet, but I'm ready to go out and buy it now, can't wait for it to be released in the UK - I mean, it's from Apple, for goodness sake! It must be good and it HAS to be something I need - look, Steve Job told me I can't live without it, so it's got to be true! Apparently there are two models, the entry level iNeedit, and the pro model, the iNeeditreally - I'm thinking it's the iNeeditreally for me.

Oh, wait, what's that? Ooooh, Nikon are bringing out a new camera ... what do you mean I don't need it? Of course I do, Nikon have brought this camera out for people just like me with all sorts of upgrades from my last camera, I MUST need it! Look, it can shoot a black cat in a coal cellar! Thank goodness I still have the day job to pay for all of this!

The Gotta-Have-It Tribe
I've heard that Some BigName Photographer has one of those new video lights from America and he's using it at weddings. Crikey, I've gotta have it, I mean, if he thinks this is the right tool for the job, it must be the one for me. I haven't the foggiest what I'm doing with it, but who cares, this is going to make my photographs amazing because I've got the same video light as Some BigName Photographer. Goodness me, it's expensive, but hey, it's worth it. What do you mean, he's sponsored by the company to say all these good things about the light? No, I'm sure he loves it and uses it at every wedding. Surely?

The It's-OK-I'll-Put-It-Right-In-Photoshop Tribe
Damn, I messed up on the shoot, but it's ok, I've got Photoshop, I can put it right when I open up the images in Lightroom, and I'll get rid of all those dirt spots in Photoshop - I mean, that's what it's for, isn't it? Now what does this thing do in Lightroom? Crikey, I've got a lot of images from that shoot, but hey, it looks like I've got a good 25 or 30 photographs from all those 2,000 photographs I took. Goodness, look at the time, 1am, and I'm still working on all these images! But it's ok, I'm putting it all right.

The Bravado Tribe
I'm not too sure f-stop what I'm doing, but if I shutter speed talk a lot of technical garbage then ISO everyone will think I TTL know what's going on!

The Who-Cares Tribe
I've got this early 5D, bit scratched, but it does the job for me, now, next assignment, bring it on!

The How-Dare-You Tribe
I can't believe it! I mean, how can you! How dare you pull to pieces my choice of kit! Everyone knows that Canon is better than Nikon is better than Canon is better than Nikon is better than any other brand on the planet. Damn, my auto focus has gone down again - is that some back focusing going on? Shhh, don't tell anyone I bought this pile of junk! Best not tell the other half how much it cost.

There may well be other tribes, but I reckon most of us fit into one or more of these - so as you get yourself off to Focus, just spend a moment thinking about which Tribe you belong to, and whether you need, no, really really need, that equipment you're planning on buying this year!

Tales of a Networking Photographer: Part The Last

2010-03-02T08:30:00.003Z

So, networking is going to a breakfast meeting, is it? Well, it's one form of networking, but for me networking is a state of mind, not an event to attend. And that means that wherever you go, whatever you do, you are ready to network. Being in a networking state of mind starts with an attitude - an attitude to see what you can do for others, looking at how you can make the life of others better, giving them something they want.

That sounds expensive doesn't it? It really doesn't have to be though. Successful networking can come from offering someone information that they need, a link to someone that can help them. You don't have to provide product in order to do things for others. You simply need the state of mind that enables you to make connections.

I remember reading EM Forster's Howards End in my late teens and the phrase 'Only Connect' kept coming up in the novel. It has always stuck with me, and strikes a chord for much of what I do, looking for where I can make connections. Let me give you an example, when I have been concerned with myself things have tended to either fail or be difficult - you know the kind of thing ... you have photographed an event or a wedding at a local venue that you love so you drop in a CD of images for them to bin ... er, sorry, I mean use! Hmmm, maybe I was right first time.

But the moment that I have approached things from the perspective of the other person, got in their shoes, I have found I got successful results that demonstrates that networking can work. So next time you think about dropping off a CD at a venue, think about what they need, not what you want to do, or what's easy for you to do.

By keeping in mind 'only connect' you will be ready for those times in a conversation where you can help by making connections with information, support or actual hands on help (maybe even using skills from a previous experience). Make links between people, and make links between what people need of each other.

The second aspect of being in a state of mind of networking is being prepared. How often have you gone out (to drop the kids at school, for a coffee with a mate, to pick up the dry cleaning) and not bothered to take your business cards with you? Be prepared at every opportunity to pass on your business cards, flyer, or leaflet.

And the final part is knowing how to get the most out of others - next time you go to a networking event, listen to yourself, listen to others. You will notice that the majority of people take the attitude of selling to the room, so you may find yourself selling your latest promotion as a photographer. Instead, try this - think of some kind of connection you need, someone you need to meet who will help you to open a door to a local venue, company or group of people. Ask people if they know the people you need to connect with, if they can put you in touch with the group you want to connect to. You'll be surprised at the connections others can help you with ... and then it's all down to you to make contact with those connections, and straight away!

Keep in touch with the people you network with, send them a thank you note for their help, let them know how you got on in connecting with the people they put you in touch with.

So next time you catch yourself thinking that networking doesn't work, stop, look at yourself, and consider this - were you prepared, and did you connect?

The Poser's Guide: Workshop for Amateur and Semi-Pro Photographers

2010-02-26T07:08:00.003Z

Ever found yourself stumped for posing people at weddings and during portrait sessions? When I first started in photography it shocked me that as a confident person I really didn't know how to interact with people I was photographing and I was pretty much at a loss with what to do to direct them to look their best.

So I did the only thing I knew how to do - I created a system. And that system has helped me to unfreeze my brain and create 45-60 unique images to show to my clients in around 30 minutes! This is not flow posing, it's relaxed, natural posing techniques that you can enjoy and your clients can have a bit of fun with.

This workshop shows you how to create a system that works for you, whilst also considering the things that impact on the pose, as well as looking for inspiration to increase your portfolio of poses in your head ready for you to utilise when you are ready to use them. We spend some time practicing with a couple (these are not models, and you will have some time working on your own with the couple so that the images you create are your own images - you cannot use them in competitions or for panel submissions, but you can use them for portfolios to show your clients).

Subject: The Poser's Guide
Date: Sunday 7th March 2010
Location: Zoe Photography Studio, Stanley Grange, Knowsley Hall Park
Cost: £75 per person (special rates for 2 people from the same family/studio)
Tutor: Zoe Richards

Zoe Richards runs the busy Dovecote Training offering dedicated 1-2-1 and group photographic training sessions from her studio and training venue at the prestigious Knowsley Hall in Merseyside. She has more than 25 years experience of delivering training, with a Masters degree in Learning, and so she can assure you of an exceptional learning experience! Her training is specifically designed for amateur and semi-professional photographers, although some well established and experienced photographers who have 10-20 years experience of working in the profession have attended her workshops and found that they learned a lot.

Zoe is an accomplished award winning photographer, gaining a number of prestigious awards from the BIPP and MPA over the last 3 years and in 2009 she had an exhibition of her work in The Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. Her next exhibition of her work takes place in Liverpool in May 2010.

This is the kind of workshop that many professional photographers wish they had attended when they first started out on their journey, as they say that it would have made that journey so much easier for them.

Make sure you secure your place now by phoning 0151 546 4411. Payment can be made by credit card or cheque.

Tales of a Networking Photographer: Part 3

2010-02-23T07:36:00.004Z

Some people say they struggle with networking events because they are nervous in places where they don't know anyone - so instead they stay home .... er, right, like that's how you're going to meet new people and let them know you're in business! Be aware of whether you talk, listen or hide - all of us will talk out of nervousness, and many of us will hide even when we put ourselves out there, but it's nothing new to feel unsure in new situations - most people do, it's just some have learned how to overcome their fears by using some simple techniques. Let's have a look at what you can do.

The easiest of techniques is to get into the habit of going up to someone you don't know, on their own or in a group of 2, ask "may I join you?", and then ask them what they do ... but be smart about how you ask. When you ask someone "so, what do you do then?" it's all too easy for them to give you a one liner that stops the conversation dead. Instead, start with this kind of questioning - "Tell me about what you do" - this invites people to talk a little more at length. Arm yourself with some questions and statements that help the person to keep on talking. For example, "oh, that's interesting, tell me more", or "so what's the unique selling point of what you guys do then?" (that's particularly helpful when someone tells you they are an accountant or a dentist!).

Most people love to talk about themselves, and the moment someone listens to them, they too can relax and they'll like you because you took the time to listen. It's amazing how you can develop a great reputation simply by demonstrating that you are listening. Make sure you pick up business cards from the people you interact with, and pass over yours too.

After a while you'll want to extract yourself from the person you are listening to, and again, it's an easy technique - you can either ask them if they've met someone else you know in the room, or if you are new to the event yourself, then ask if they'd like a top up as you're going to get another drink. When you've got the top up you can then work into joining another group of people, and start the process again - "Hi, I'm Zoe, I'd love to hear about your business, tell me about what you do."

Other phrases that are useful are to ask things like:
"So how does that work?"
"Tell me about some of the things you're proud of with your business."
"I don't really know your kind of business, describe it to me a little more so I can understand what you do."
"What is it that makes you stand out from the crowd?"
"What are you looking for from networking here today?"

But equally there are subjects to avoid at networking events - and the main one is sport, specifically football as these conversations exclude many people, and prevent true networking taking place successfully. It's also worth avoiding religion and politics too, but sport is the main excluder!

Linked to this technique, learn to adopt a positive stance - stand up straight, but relaxed, and put a smile on your face. It doesn't matter how you feel on the inside, act as if you feel amazing! Fake it until you do feel amazing on the inside, and then your body will believe the messages it is receiving! Keep eye contact - one of the best indicators that you are NOT listening is to be scanning the room, so let the person you are with know that you are listening, by watching them, and giving them the listening cues of smiling, nodding and making listening sounds (such as 'Mm', 'Right', 'That's interesting'. Listen as if this is the most interesting person you have met - and if they're not, remember the 'top-up' technique - "I could do with a top-up - can I get you one as well?"

Now the alternative to working on these techniques goes something like this:

You arrive at the networking event, say hello at the reception desk and give in your name. You're given a list of names of those attending, along with an agenda for the event, and a badge to put on your lapel which you put down low, hanging from your the waistband of your trousers. As you're messing around with the badge, you sidle over to the coffee, and pour yourself a drink. Even though you know the coffee is way to hot to drink you put it up to your mouth so you can sneak a look around the room to see if you know anyone (obviously your too-hot-drink is far more important the others who are chatting in their nice little groups).

You can't spy anyone you know, so you move over to the side of the room, and with one hand holding you cup and saucer, you occupy yourself with the details of who is here and what is on the agenda, that way you don't have to talk to anyone. After a few minutes the organiser calls you into the room where the speaker will be giving their presentation. You top up your drink and walk into the room, looking for a table to the back of the room. And as soon as the speaker finishes, up you jump and dash out of the room before you have to relive the whole 'I'm-on-my-own' embarrassment you suffered on arrival. Phew, that's over with , now let's get back on with the day job!

So which option seems like a worthwhile experience? I know I prefer the one where I've made sure at least one person knows I'm in business who didn't know before - and likes me because I am a good listener. Which would you prefer?

Improve Your Camera Skills - Workshop for Amateur and Semi-Pro Photographers

2010-02-22T07:10:00.003Z

Learn how to see and use light, and how to use your camera to make best use of available light - this workshop includes a short section on using flash effectively.

This workshop helps you to understand the formula that works between light and your camera so that you can take amazing images. It is suitable for anyone, regardless of skill level, or camera type.

Subject: Improve your camera skills
Date: Saturday 6th March 2010
Location: Zoe Photography Studio, Stanley Grange, Knowsley Hall Park
Cost: £75 per person (special rates for 2 people from the same family/studio)
Tutor: Zoe Richards

Zoe Richards runs the busy Dovecote Training offering dedicated 1-2-1 and group photographic training sessions from her studio and training venue at the prestigious Knowsley Hall in Merseyside. She has more than 25 years experience of delivering training, with a Masters degree in Learning, and so she can assure you of an exceptional learning experience!

Zoe is also an accomplished award winning photographer, gaining a number of prestigious awards from the BIPP and MPA over the last 3 years and in 2009 she had an exhibition of her work in The Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool. Her next exhibition of her work takes place in Liverpool in May 2010.

This is the kind of workshop that many professional photographers wish they had attended when they first started out on their journey. Make sure you secure your place now by phoning 0151 546 4411. Payment can be made by credit card or cheque.

Tales of a Networking Photographer: Part 2

2010-02-13T18:15:00.010Z

WARNING ON THE SIDE OF THE PACK
EVEN DOING NOTHING, BLAMING OTHERS, GIVES GUARANTEED RESULTS ...
... OF NOTHING!

So you want to get networking right? Let's get down to basics then! And the first thing to check out is how passionate you are about being a photographer - do you really love what you are doing? Are you able to demonstrate to others a level of passion for what you do that makes them want to be around you? Are you a photographer because you are passionate about being a photographer or because you are running away from something else, or perhaps because you just don't know how to be anything else?

People spot passion, we all do, and we spot boredom and insincerity too! When we talk about what we do with passion we come across positive, upbeat, enthusiastic - isn't that the kind of person you would want to do business with? It's so much more interesting than doing business with someone who lacks confidence in themselves, or who sounds as if they don't want to be there!

Before you set out networking this week, test your networking presentation on friends and family, test out how passionate you sound, check out if you speak in a way that gets people wanting to hear more. Which takes me onto the next issue to work on - what is your lift statement? Your lift statement is what you tell people you do when you only have 30 seconds to get your point across. Now, if someone asks you what you do, and you answer that you are a photographer, what do they say next, how can you get a conversation going? I was talking to someone recently who, when asked what he does, answered tby saying that he massages 1000 tits before breakfast - he certainly stopped me in my tracks and we ended up having a really interesting conversation about milking cows!

So what do you do? What is your lift statement? I have a few that I use, depending on the people who are present - for example, at a recent networking event I told people I was a flasher - well, it got a conversation or two going, and no-one made any assumptions about what my job was!

When you produce your lift statement make sure it's real, feels right to you, and that it contains something that will stop people, a statement that makes them want to ask you a question so that you can get talking with them. Whatever you do, avoid saying "I'm a photographer" as it allows people to decide for themselves what that means - afterall, we all know what assumptions we'd make if you answered that you're an accountant! Before you know it, the person you are talking to lets you know that they've already had their family portrait done, and they're off to talk to the next person.

Whilst you are working on your passion and developing a lift statement, start looking for networking events you can attend. Make a list of those that are in your area - you may find there is a website for your area that lists all the networking events that go on, including the evening events as well as breakfast meetings. Avoid the big, formal dinners at this stage - you need more informal events to start off with.

And finally for this stage of developing your networking technique, know what it is you are wanting to gain from networking. Most people go for the final closure - they want clients who will book them. But true networking is not about selling to each other - being effective in networking is looking for what you can offer others as you never know who they know, and what situations they will find themselves in where they think of you as the person who can help out. When I go to a networking event my aim is to get people to know that I exist - that is the closure that I am aiming for. But it needs to be the right kinds of people - so if you can, find out who goes to the networking events, the kind of jobs they do, and what their role is in the business. Some networking events can be predominantly made up of more junior staff who are being sent along by bosses to develop their networking skills, or with new businesses who have no connections yet, so these may not be the right people for you to connect with at this stage.

Part 2 of Networking, then, to recap, is to find your passion, write your lift statement, and find suitable networking events to attend as soon as possible. More later in the week on how to be an effective networker, and to get networking to work for you.

Tales of a Networking Photographer - Give it to Me! Part 1

2010-02-10T06:56:00.008Z

WARNING ON THE SIDE OF THE PACK
IT DOESN'T NEED TO BE LIKE THIS!

6am. My favourite time of morning - I get up, maybe go for a short run, walk the dog and generally wake up slowly. I don't have to talk to anyone for at least an hour, usually more. Bliss! I love it! And then comes Friday mornings, once a fortnight. I have to get up that half hour earlier to get myself out of the house by 6.15am and be sitting down with a lot of business people all of us intent on one thing - networking! I hate it! Oh, don't get me wrong, it's not the networking I hate, I love networking!. You men get it easy though - you don't have to get the hair right, and there's no makeup to apply to make yourself feel like you look half reasonable! That's the bit I hate.

Putting myself through such a trial every other Friday morning has to be for something special then - and it is, it's to join in with Juice Networking, a Liverpool networking group. And it's full of great people who know how to have fun as well as passing business around. And being a member there got me to thinking about the tales of a networking photographer .....

~~~~~~~~~

So you've set yourself up in business, and you've decided to get out there and tell everyone you've arrived! You are excited, and you just know everyone else will be excited to see you - after all, everyone in your family just loves your photography! How could anyone else fail to see how amazing you are? Right? Right?

You pick your networking group, because that's what networking is, isn't it? And off you go, with a nervous smile plastered on your face and a dragging of your feet (come on, it's 6.30am and you need coffee). You arrive just in time for the breakfast, grab a quick coffee, and plonk yourself down in one of the last remaining seats, stuck at the end of the row. You'd talk with the guys near to you, but you're desperate to get this cooked breakfast down you before the creeping death with everyone saying something about their business. It comes around to your turn to speak, you've not heard a word others have said because you've been trying to think about what to say yourself, you stand up, look down at the table in front of you and you do your pitch:

"Hi, erm, hi, I'm a photographer," you mumble. "I, er, specialise in er photographing weddings, portraits, er events, commercial, er fashion, fine art, cars, er sports, babies, interiors, architecture, macro, and er paparazzi, so erm for all your erm photography needs, I'm your pic - haha - pic, pick? Get it? Haha" And breathing heavily, glad to get it over with you sit back down and drink your coffee. You know other people are speaking, but you've no idea what they're saying - you're congratulating yourself for having got through the ordeal. You sit back and wait for all the work to come flooding in.

On your way home from the networking morning you stop by a local hotel and drop off a disk of images from a wedding you did there last year - you know they'll be pleased to have them because they obviously need photographs to show to couples, to use in their marketing and your images should do them just fine. The receptionist smiles as she takes the disk from you and you get off quickly so you can get back home - as you leave the hotel, the receptionist glances at the disk and tosses it into a tray of other papers. Her colleague arrives and puts things in the tray, covering your disk, and the two of them have a natter about last night's Big Brother.

Next week comes along, it's been a bit quiet, you've thought about uploading some images to your blog, but not quite got around to it. You've tweeted a few times about your life, but you still don't know you get Twitter. You get yourself off to the networking meeting, looking forward to hearing what business referrals you have got from the others who will be there - you are a little surprised at how much business is passing around the room, but there's nothing for you. Not one person has got you a lead. It comes to your slot and you stand up:

"Hi, erm, hi, I'm a photographer," you mumble. "I, er, specialise in er photographing weddings, portraits, er events, commercial, er fashion, fine art, cars, er sports, babies, interiors, architecture, macro, and er paparazzi, so erm for all your erm photography needs, I'm your pic - haha - pic, pick? Get it? Haha." You know the guy next to you is speaking, but you've no idea what he's saying - you're congratulating yourself for having got through the ordeal. You sit back and wait for all the work to come flooding in.

On your way home you stop off at a local estate agents and tell them that you would love to work with them, how about doing a voucher scheme where everyone who buys a house through them gets a free portrait session. The girl smiles sweetly and tells you that if you would like to leave something she'll pass it on to her boss. You tell her that you haven't got anything with you right now, but you'll leave your phone number for the boss to get in touch. She notes down the number with your name on a yellow post it, and you get off back home to wait for the work to start flooding in.

Another week goes by, you arrive very late for the networking meeting because you woke up late, but at least you managed to throw on a t-shirt and jeans, even if they do look a bit crumpled, and you arrive just in time for the breakfast, which you're still eating when it's your time to get up and speak.

"Hi, erm, hi, I'm a photographer," you mumble. "I, er, specialise in er photographing weddings, portraits, er events, commercial, er fashion, fine art, cars, er sports, babies, interiors, architecture, macro, and er paparazzi, so erm for all your erm photography needs, I'm your pic - haha - pic, pick? Get it? Haha." And breathing heavily, glad to get it over with you sit back down and finish your cooked breakfast. You know other people are speaking, but you've no idea what they're saying - you're tucking into your bacon and sausage, which is a bit cold, but not bad nonetheless. Business cards are passed around and you realise you've left yours at home, but it's no problem, people have picked up your card before. As you're about to leave one of the other networkers asks if you do photographs of businesses for their website. You are very excited, and say 'of course I do'. The other guy asks for your business card, 'oh, I forgot them today, but you've picked one up before, you've got my details, give me a call'. He smiles, and thanks you, and off you both go to get on with the day. Strangely you never did hear from that guy, he couldn't have been serious after all.

On your way home you stop by the local school and drop in a voucher for the auction at their PTA event - you know it will raise your profile and bring you loads of business in, and the people who bid for your voucher will be bound to pay for more prints on top of the prize.

Wow, this networking lark, it's hard work! But oddly, not one bit of business has come your way in weeks. You don't believe all these people who say that it's not what you know, it's who you know - you know loads of people, but they're not bringing any business your way at all. You know what, this networking just isn't worth it! You're not so sure you'll bother going to the breakfast meeting next week. Maybe you'll have a lay in next week.

But it can be oh so different!

Quickie: So you want to be in business - Part 2

2010-02-09T06:58:00.004Z

The main topic of emails I've received this week has been "so what do I do to avoid the self-sabotage you wrote about last week?" Relax, that's what this week's post is all about!

Phase One
Forums - aren't they just great? We can make friends (some of my dearest friends I originally met on-line through photography forums) and have a laugh, and find out snippets of information - it's the virtual watercooler. We do need to take care, though, as it's easy to get drawn in to the forums and let them take over. Make sure you know what your purpose of being on the forums is, and give yourself a limited time each day or week to use them for that purpose. And then visit the sections of the forum that are going to help you, or where you can help others.

The other important point to keep in mind about forums is that you don't know who is giving you advice - if you need advice that is critical to your business or your photography skills, check up on the credentials of those people who are dishing out the advice. What are their images like? How long have they been in business? Are they the blind leading the blind, as happens on quite a few forums? And as with all research, use triangulation - ie, gather evidence from at least 3 sources. One person's view may be interesting, but unless you get confirmation from at least 3 other sources, you are potentially taking on board an untested or barely tested perspective.

Phase Two
Pricing low - there are times that low pricing works, we all do it, including big name companies. But remember, these are often loss leaders, so you need products that your clients will buy that then cover the loss and bring in a profit.

The first step is to be clear on your costs - how much do all the products cost that you are selling? What are the on-costs and overheads for you running your business? And then calculate what you want or need to be earning. Once you know your costs, you can then price yourself accordingly. A quick and dirty method of pricing as a minimum pricing point is to take your product and apportioned overhead costs and times that value by 3 to give you the product cost to the customer. So if your album costs to you are £250, your minimum price needs to be £750 - but remember if you have other products that you provide clients with then these also need costing in to your price.

The other important factor in low pricing is to make sure you are delivering work that people will want to buy - that's not always about being the best photographer in the patch, but it is about providing variety. Mind you, I also like to work towards being the best in the area too! When I shoot a portrait session I aim to have somewhere in the region of 45 different poses through my posing structure so that I can show a minimum of 60 images to my clients. On most occasions people love somewhere in the region of 25-40 of the images that they now want to buy. If I do a complimentary shoot with a 7x5 print (I know, some people will cringe at the thought I am giving product away!) I can make sales of a minimum of £250 and regularly more because the quality and variety of images enables me to make those sales to clients.

Phase Three
Avoid all the legal aspects of running a business at your peril! Get every aspect of the legal side sorted and sort it now. So make sure you have told the tax office, the National Insurance office, get insured, cover yourself for your kit and for public liability and professional indemnity, change your car insurance to business use, and get your self assessment forms completed and in on time!

Phase Four
Unless you don't know how to use your camera, people don't need to know you're new - but then, if you don't know how to use your camera yet then you're not a photographer, so you wouldn't market yourself as one, would you? If you are still feeling very new to photography then do a lot of work for free for family and friends, and give them the images on disk so that they can do what they want with them. I used to do a lot of TFCD work for new models (time for CD) and we would practice together - they needed to get into posing and looking good in images, I needed to practice using my camera. No musician goes up on stage saying to the audience "look, I'm new at this, but I'm going to give it a go" - they've practiced, practiced, practiced! Photographers could learn a lot from musicians and their approach to performance!

Phase Five
Advertising - some advertising can work. It can work when you have a powerful advert, and when your budget is spent in a targeted way. But for most people (particularly those who design their own advert - if you're going to go down this route and spend money on advertising, use a graphic designer to create a quality advert for you) the reality is that spending money on advertising can be a complete waste of money. Before you spend any money on advertising, do your research, and be clear about what you want to achieve out of the advert - you must know the end game and have a call to action. Contact people who have adverts placed in the publication now, ask them if they will be placing an advert again, and if not, why that is, find out what the advert did for them. Check through past copies of the publication if you can, and notice what businesses advertise repeatedly - contact them as well.

And if you're convinced that advertising is for you, then make sure you target it. Again carry out your own research - start by looking at adverts on TV and in magazines and national newspapers and work out who the advert is targeted at. This will help you to better understand the whole process of targeting.

One word of caution - avoid any form of advertising with partners where the partner doesn't pay for anything themselves! For example, the wedding venue that creates a brochure wholly paid for by the adverts - most of those end up under the reception desk, and where they are handed out, you will not be pushed ahead of those people that the venue has a current relationship with.

Phase Six
Waiting for the clients to come to you - well, let's face it, no-one knows you are in business! People will only come to you once you've created the desire. And you can only create desire by getting out there and letting people know you are in business. I remember Catherine Connor from CPT (Contemporary Photography Training) saying that we need to ask ourselves 'who knows I'm in business this week who didn't know I was in business last week?' That's a powerful question for helping us to keep focused on getting our name out there! Use networking (not just the networking groups), get to know people, find ways you can help them, rather than looking for ways they can help you, and give them things that they need, not what you think they need (venues are overwhelmed with disks of wedding images that photographers give to them, and they just don't look at them, let alone use them!)

Phase Seven
Wedding Shows - some people do every show possible and generate lots of leads from them, others spend a lot of money on the shows and come away with very little. if anything at all Work out your strategy for being at the show (and it will seldom be about getting lots of bookings on the day) and work towards that strategy. Make sure you are showing your best work, displayed in the best way possible, and have something about you and your stand that people will remember you for - after all, there will be a lot of photographers there, and you need to stand out from the crowd. But for many people, particularly those who are very uncomfortable approaching strangers, wedding shows just may not be the marketing approach for you.

Phase Eight
Give a portrait session away for auctions - hmmm, before you give away an auction prize, be clear about your purpose. Most people say that they do it to raise their profile. But let's face it, if you are an unknown photographer, why does anyone want to be bidding for you prize? Now if you were David Bailey, then that might be different, but as some unknown who has just come out of the woodwork and set yourself up as a photographer you are not much of a draw, and people will not take much notice of your prize - and that's just the sober ones! I give prizes for raffles and auctions - but I do this with charities I want to support so that I am doing something for them, rather than working to get something out of the prize for me.

Phase Nine
Attend training courses - I am a big advocate of learning, and I hope that I never stop learning myself, as I love those light bulb moments! If you are going to go on a training course, though, be sure about what you want to get from it, and be clear that the person delivering the course is competent to do so, and has something for you to gain from them. And when you get back from the course, make sure you take action immediately to apply your learning!

Phase Ten
Overshooting - many digital photographers overshoot! Isn't it wonderful that we can take as many images as we want to cover our backs in case we do something wrong? Well, great though it may be, it also gives you lots of work to do to go through all the images and edit them. Start shooting as if you have film in your camera and you'll find yourself being sure you're getting things right! I have spent hours and hours practicing to make sure I know my camera inside out, and to get used to posing people so that they look good. And now that translates into me not needing to overshoot to protect myself.

At the risk of being controversial, ask yourself why you are practicing on your clients? Would you be happy if your car mechanic was practicing on your car, you dentist was practicing on your teeth or your hair stylist was practicing on your hair? So if you are shooting lots of frames to cover your back, as insurance against you making mistakes, instead go off and get to know your kit fully so that you can deliver the right job for your clients, and you can also save yourself a lot of time in post production!

All of these phases are covered in full, along with many other tips and hints, on my workshop "The Business of Photography" which is geared towards business in general, with some specific elements related to my own field of social photography. If you are planning on getting into the business of photography you will find the workshop an invaluable resource of what to do and what to avoid - I wish someone had been running this workshop when I started out! I would have saved myself so much money, time and effort!

Get in touch on 0151 546 4411 or email us at info@dovecotetraining.co.uk

Quickie: So you want to be in business ...

2010-02-06T17:04:00.004Z

WARNING ON THE SIDE OF PACK
THIS POST IS WRITTEN TO HELP AND IS NOT A DIG, NEGATIVE, OR CYNICAL :D

Wouldn't you just love to get out of the rat race and into self employment, running your own photography business? How exciting would that be? Taking photographs on a daily basis, getting paid to do photoshop work, selling loads of your favourite images - fabulous! For some it may well happen, for many it just isn't an option, either because of financial or family commitments, or because you are just not suited to working for yourself.

But what if you decide that you do want to go into business? What are the surefire ways to sabotage your dreams? Yes, you read that right! Most people who dream then go ahead and adopt a stance of self-sabotage ... so what do you need to do to engage in the most effective self-sabotage possible?

Phase One
Join a photographers' forum and spend every available hour on there - you are obviously busy because you are talking about photography, which afterall is what your passion is, and what you want to do for your business!

Phase Two
Price yourself extremely low and do as much as possible for free - this will bring clients your way who will love your work and tell everyone about you ... well, they'll tell everyone that you're dirt cheap anyway! And don't worry, your salaried job can pay for the overheads, the new kit, some of the printing costs, your petrol and expenses for shooting so cheap!

Phase Three
Avoid all the legal aspects of running a business - no-one will know what you're doing anyway, so you don't need to tell the tax man, you don't need insurance for your kit, and you can get away without professional indemnity and public liability ... until something goes wrong, but hey, it's not likely to happen to you, is it?

Phase Four
Tell everyone you're new, and then they'll forgive you for your mistakes, they won't complain, and they won't tell their mates that you were useless, because no-one ever does moan about poor customer service, do they?

Phase Five
Spend every penny you have on every bit of advertising that comes your way - Yellow Pages, Yell.com, all the bridal mags, on-line bridal forums, on-line photographer websites for brides - they can all promise you have loads and loads of bookings whilst you pass over your hard earned cash.

Phase Six
Leave the day job and then sit in your office all day waiting for the phone to ring, the brides to turn up at your door and the portrait clients to give you a shout - they'll come in their hundreds because you left the job yesterday and set your stall out!

Phase Seven
Go to wedding shows without a plan, tell brides why they must have you without listening to them and their needs, and show them all your damaged albums with your knocked frames on the walls. No-one will notice and they'll jump at the chance to pick you to photograph their wedding.

Phase Eight
Give a portrait session away for every auction you can find so that it raises your profile - all these drunken souls at the event will be bound to remember you and the person who wins the prize will feel like a million dollars at having spent £10 on their auction prize to be photographed by an unknown photographer!

Phase Nine
Attend every training course that is out there, don't bother to apply any of it, then go on another workshop, and don't bother to apply any of that either - you'll have a great time networking with other photographers and you'll find a load of others you can bitch with about how difficult times are these days!

Phase Ten
Take 1000's of photographs at every shoot, then Photoshop every image, take 2 to 3 weeks to process everything, and the couple will love you for all the work you've put in - well, if they notice, and if they don't get caught up on the fact you missed the photograph of the groom's dad who is really poorly, but it's ok because you only promised them 400 images and you've given them 800 instead, so they should be happy!

Once you've worked through all of these phases you'll have done an amazing job of sabotaging your business, and becoming a success at going back to the day job.

Photography Workshops Spring 2010

2010-02-03T13:51:00.002Z

I've been writing so many threads on the business side of things that the dates for forthcoming workshops have been pushed way down! So here is a reminder of what's coming up:

Sunday 7th February (this Sunday) - 2 places left on the Improve Your Camera Skills workshop for those newer to photography. This is aimed at amateurs, and is suitable for you whatever camera you own, as you can apply what we cover with all cameras. Just £75 per person. Lots of useful information and guidance from a professional photographer.

The March Series (it's happening in March, just in case you couldn't tell!)
Following on from the success of The November Series (we did that in November!), 4 workshops for the new or newer photographer, we are pleased to announce The March Series in 2010. The November Series was born out of the news of the first successfully sued wedding photographer in Yorkshire, dubbed 'bungling Bowers' in some circles, and the ensuing comments from those aspiring to be a professional photographer who want to avoid being next but either can't afford the money or the time off to attend many of the workshops that are currently on offer.

At Dovecote Training, we've been listening, so The March Series is a set of 4 workshops, and you can attend one, two, three or all four sessions which will be taking place on the weekend. The dates are 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th March 2010. The workshops will take place at the Zoe Photography base on the Knowsley Hall Park on the outskirts of Liverpool. Topics covered are

6th March - Improve your camera skills (including an element of flash photography)
7th March - How to Pose People for Beautiful Images
13th March - Being in Control of the Wedding
14th March - The Business of Photography

The March Series is an affordable set of workshops, with each one costing only £75, or £250 if you book all 4 sessions. All we ask for keeping the price so low is that you bring your own lunch (we'll supply the drinks and biscuits!). For those of you who live some distance from the Merseyside area, we have some local hotels starting from £50 within a 15 minute drive of our base.

Your trainer, Zoe, delivers the workshops from the newer photographer's perspective, having changed career herself to become a professional photographer. She now holds a number of prestigious awards which demonstrate her skill with the camera and with posing couples, and she runs a successful wedding and portrait business in Liverpool, only a few short years from giving up her corporate career. Zoe will share her mistakes as well as her techniques for achieve beautiful imagery, all put from the perspective of someone who understands the journey you yourself are on.

To book your place either email zoe@zoephotography.co.uk or call us on 0151 546 4411.

Places are already being snapped up, so don't leave it long to book!

QUICKIE: How are the Goals?

2010-02-01T10:34:00.003Z

Remember the goal setting? Did you do yours? Have you done anything about working towards those goals?

One of the most common things in businesses, other than not bothering to set goals, is to set them and then not bother working towards them at all! What is the point of that? How will you move your business forward if you don't bother working towards your goals?

So now we are into February, you first challenge of the month is to set yourself mini goals to work towards over the next 28 days. What do you need to do this week to take you one step closer to your goals? What will you do next week to take one more step closer? Is anything stopping you from working towards your goals? What will you do to overcome these obstacles? Do you need any help from other people, and if so, who do you have in your circle of influence who can help you make the changes you need to make in order to achieve your goals?

Here's a story that you may find useful to help you move forward on your goals. Remember the gold medal rowing team and how successful they were? They say that part of their success is down to their attitude and a question they would continually ask themselves. With every decision they had to make - be it about what to eat, how to spend their spare time, choosing to exercise or watch tv, they would ask themselves the same question. Will this make the boat go faster? If not, they wouldn't do it. If it would, they would take action straight away.

So, with your goals in mind - will the actions you take today make your boat go faster?

Light Blue: Photo

2010-01-20T23:16:00.004Z

Remember a couple of weeks back I told you that at Zoe Photography we love Light Blue: Photo, the studio management software? Well, they've just announced an upgrade and it makes it even more exciting! Version 2 is here!

So what does it offer over and above the original? I'm still getting my head around it, but the things I love so far are the availability of the multi-seat option, which is great when you have staff working with you, and you need to have Light Blue: Photo running on more than one computer.

It's also possible to now schedule meetings as well as jobs along with improvements to invoicing and other elements of the software that were already part of the functionality, but are now faster and more flexible.

If you haven't already downloaded the trial version now is a really good time to do so, and there is also a special price for the v.2 upgrade at the moment too.

Go on, you know you want 2010 to be the year you get organised - what better way to do that than with one of the most valuable business tools you can buy!

We Love This! Kubota Image Tools

2010-01-08T09:26:00.004Z

Ever wondered how some photographers get such a great finish to their images? Well, there's a high chance many of them are using the best image tools available to them - and for us that has to be the Kubota Image Tools. We use the Dashboard which contains a broad range of actions that you can mix and match to create your own formula for image processing - although the booklet that comes with the actions makes some suggestions to get you going too.

Here's a before and after example - the first image is straight out of camera, the second has a Kubota action applied to it which now makes the image much stronger.

If you're looking for a way to give your images the edge, take them up to the next level, then Kubota Image Tools will definitely achieve that for you. And you get the chance to take a good look at what Kevin has available as he is showing at both the SWPP convention in January and Focus on Imaging in March this year.

Photography Workshop in London - Posing and Controlling the Shoot

2010-01-03T11:40:00.007Z

UPDATE - 14 places gone already and I only expected about 6 people!

*** Due to the snow I have not been able to get into the office all week - please send a cheque payable to Zoe Photography for £10 to 3 Dovecote Court, Stanley Grange, Ormskirk Road, Knowsley Village, Merseyside L34 4AR

I was due to be speaking at the SWPP Convention in London but as a result of a bizarre set of circumstances that I won't go into I am no longer speaking there. However a few people have been in touch and said how disappointed they are that I won't be part of the convention, and asking if I'd be prepared to still put the sessions on.

So plans are afoot! I will be doing a 4 hour session in London, close to the Novotel (location finalised as The Brook Green Hotel, 170 Shepherd's Bush Road, Hammersmith, very close to the Novotel) for a fee of just £10 to cover refreshments during the afternoon (I will cover the room hire and all costs myself). Please register with info@dovecotetraining.co.uk to book your place. I will run the afternoon session regardless of numbers - so if it's just me and one other, then I will be happy to pass on my knowledge and experiences to that person, if there are more of you, then that's fantastic!

What will I cover? During the 4 hours we will look at two areas that seem to matter a lot to photographers - how to pose individuals and couples, and how to be in control of the shoot (with a bias towards weddings). I have run both of these as full day workshops during 2009, so the workshop in London will only be an introduction to both areas, but you will definitely go away with some tips and techniques that you can apply immediately in your shoots.

And finally, when? I will be running the workshop on Friday 15th January from 1pm to 5pm (refreshments from 12:45pm) so that it clashes with as little as possible of the convention, and also to enable those of you coming for the weekend to get there a little earlier and join in with these sessions. And of course it won't clash with the Help for Heroes photography event on Saturday 16th January! (Places still available for the Help for Heroes event through Martin Graham-Dunn)

I look forward to hearing from you - and please feel free to pass these details on to friends and colleagues who had expected to join my sessions at the SWPP convention and may not have anyway to find out about what I am offering for just £10.

Oh, and one other thing - at 2pm on Thursday 14th January I am planning visiting the National Gallery - please let me know if you want to join me. This is just a social thing, no training involved. It would be lovely to see anyone interested in the influence of art on photography.

We Love This! Light Blue Photo

2010-01-01T16:01:00.004Z

I'm often being asked for recommendations of suppliers, books, workshops, in fact anything at all that helps the photographer improve, run their business better, and earn more money! In 2010 we are introducing a new category to the blog - 'We Love This!'

And what better way to start the year than with a recommendation that helps you get organised - in fact, it will help you get so organised that you'll have more time to get out there and photograph more for your clients, helping you to earn more money.

In our photography studio, Zoe Photography, we use Light Blue Photo as our studio management system. And one of the great things with Light Blue Photo is that you don't need to commit to spending any money until after you've trialed the software. Amongst other things, with Light Blue you can start storing information about jobs when the enquiry first comes in, whatever kind of photography you work on. You can also upload your workflow to Light Blue so that it reminds you of each task you need to do, including invoicing your clients when the money is due.

This is really simple software to use, designed by photographers, tested by photographers, and now recognised by many as one of the best studio management tools you can get. We love this software, and highly recommend that, as we enter a new year, you download the trial version and give it a try to see how it can help your business too!

QUICKIE: Setting Goals for 2010

2009-12-29T11:29:00.004Z

It's the last few days of 2009, which for some has been a bumper year, and for others has been a struggle, with many photographers returning to the pay cheque or postponing giving up the day job to pursue the dream. If you plan well for 2010 there is no reason for your business to join the failures, and instead there is every reason for you to have a bumper year! There are so many examples where goal setting has taken businesses to new levels, and in these last days of 2009 you can put in the groundwork for taking your business to a new level in 2010.

Tuesday
Be clear what you are aiming for - think big, ask yourself 'what if...' and see where it takes your thinking. For example, what if you were the best boudoir photographer in your area? What if you were the most talked about family photographer in your region? What if you were recognised as the headshot photographer for actors in your city?

Give yourself clarity over your vision for your business, let the big thinking help you understand what you want to be. Allowing yourself to play the 'what if...' game without filtering anything will open up possibilities to you, and you will find yourself being attracted to some of your answers more so than others.

And in having that clarity, remember the previous post - determine what your specialism is, know how you can stand out from the crowd. Having a background in management consultancy and HR I regularly work on a process where I consider 3 things - what do I need to do more of, what do I need to do less of and what do I need to start doing. Having clarity about my vision enables me to know better what I need to do about these 3 things.

Wednesday
Write your goals down for the year - and yes, you need to write them down. Research has shown that those people who write down their goals are 90% more likely to achieve them than those that don't. These need to be goals about what you will achieve, not what you will have - for example, you may decide that you one of your goals will be to become the photographer of choice for a particular venue in your area, which is far more valuable than writing a goal that you will earn £50k from shooting weddings in 2010. Becoming the photographer of choice gives you the chance to earn the £50k, but having the goal of earning £50k needs breaking down into the goals that will get you there.

Make sure your goals are both achievable and challenging. Be absolutely specific in your description of your goal - if you've decided to become the preferred photographer for a venue then specify the venue, write it down so that you can then start looking at what you need to do to become the preferred photographer.

Thursday
On the last day of the year let's get specific with our targets. Set yourself milestones throughout the year so that you know you are aiming for something specific. Many people who write down goals do so in a woolly way and within weeks of deciding that they are working towards something they have given up. For example, if you are using photography forums, ask yourself this - how much is this forum helping me reach my goals. Do I know why I am a member of the forum? Many people say that it is so that they can learn, but they actually become addicted to the forum and spend more time socialising there than they do working towards the goals of their business.

By having targets it will help you to know what things you need to say 'no' to - and saying no is OK. In fact, saying no can be a necessity to enable you to grow your business in line with your vision. For example, I am not very fond of high key photography, but I used to smile and say yes to clients who approached me. I never produced my best work, and I'd spend time knocking myself up about the poor quality of work I'd produced, which all distracted me from delivering towards my goals. Only once I became fully focused on the targets of my business and on what I wanted to achieve did my business grow.

Friday
OK, let's accept it, Friday, whilst the first day of 2010, is probably going to be spent recovering from the partying of the night before, so let's take the day off!

Saturday
Let's go for it! Today is the day you are going to get started, ready for achieving all those goals. Write down the tasks you need to do in order to deliver on your goals. If you decided that your top goal is to become the most talked about photographer in your area, what are the tasks you will need to do to achieve that? Who do you need to talk to? What do you need to do?

Write yourself a Task List - maybe even write a series of Task Lists, one to get started on, another to follow-up on, and a further one for completion of the tasks related to each goal.

Sunday
Get started! Sunday is the day when you can do all the preparatory work, plus it's the day that helps you start to create a habit of working on your goals each and every day. From now onwards, if you are going to be the success you want to be you will be so focused on your vision and the goals for delivering on that vision that you will automatically work on your Task Lists each and everyday.

And then each month, on the 1st of each month, set some time aside and review your delivery against your goals, refocus if necessary, and give yourself the push you need to achieve what you set out to achieve.

2010, the start of a new decade, what better time to make sure your business grows into the business you want it to be!

QUICKIE: Find and work to your specialism

2009-12-28T14:43:00.002Z

What is your area of specialism? Do you know? During difficult times have you found yourself expanding your business areas, or have you created a niche for yourself? Everytime you see some new style of photography do you jump on the bandwagon, or do you focus on your own area of specialism?

When you visit many photographers' websites or blogs they are quick to tell you what they specialise in - weddings, trash the dress, baby portraits, family portraiture, fashion, landscapes, boudoir, product placement, events, pet portraits ... and so the list goes on - really? Do they truly specialise in all of these areas of photography?

If you do one thing for yourself in this period between Christmas and New Year, give yourself some time to go over your own photographs. Consider what your best work is, where you feel most comfortable, the images that give you most pleasure, the clients that are the easiest for you to work with. Now consider whether this is your specialism - if so, how much effort do you put into marketing this area of your business? Is this enough?

The more we expand, the more we dilute ourselves - our services, our time, our skill all become diluted as we try to be all things to all people. Now that's not to say you stop offering the services of all these different styles and genre of photography - it is about making sure you put your main efforts into your business in the area where you gain most pleasure and can deliver the best products, thereby being able to concentrate on achieving the best income in your own niche.

If you are a wedding photographer, consider what your specialist style of photographer is, or what you want it to be. If you are a portrait photographer, pick one age group or style to concentrate on.

When you've done that, give yourself a goal for 2010 - decide on a level of income you will achieve from this particular specialism and focus all your efforts from marketing, networking, relationship building and relationship management, and of course sales too on this niche. By concentrating your efforts on your area of specialism you will find other work will come your way as you become recognised for being an expert in your field.

So, what is your area of specialism then?

Improve Your Camera Skills - Workshop for Amateur Photographers

2009-12-26T14:50:00.003Z

Did you get a camera for christmas but you're not really sure what to do with it? You need a photography course!

On Sunday 7th February 2010 award winning professional photographer Zoe is running a photography workshop at her base on the Knowsley Hall park near Liverpool to help you get to grips with your camera, no matter what type of camera you have and help you learn how to take better pictures. She will show you how to find light, and will give you some tips of the professionals so that you can create beautiful pieces of art for your walls, fabulous photographs of the children, and great memories of events in your family's life.

To book your place, please email info@dovecotetraining.co.uk - please book early as places are already filling up! The day costs £75, with a special offer of just £50 if you book by 15th January 2010. Bring along your camera and enjoy learning from a professional photographer how you can improve your photography skills.

Getting Your Business Moving

2009-11-29T10:32:00.003Z

Most photographers think about having a mentor for their photography, but how many consider having a business mentor? Even though I have been in business a while, and have previously run a successful business I still have a business mentor, someone who has little knowledge of the photography industry. And his perspective is very useful for helping me to move my business forward. So if you want to move your business on, consider getting yourself a business mentor.

Photography Workshops 2010

2009-11-27T13:47:00.003Z

Following on from the success of The November Series, 4 workshops for the new or newer photographer, we are pleased to announce The March Series in 2010. The November Series was born out of the news of the first successfully sued wedding photographer in Yorkshire, dubbed 'bungling Bowers' in some circles, and the ensuing comments from those aspiring to be a professional photographer who want to avoid being next but either can't afford the money or the time off to attend many of the workshops that are currently on offer.

At Dovecote Training, we've been listening, so The March Series is a set of 4 workshops, and you can attend one, two, three or all four sessions which will be taking place on the weekend. The dates are 6th, 7th, 13th and 14th March 2010. The workshops will take place at the Zoe Photography base on the Knowsley Hall Park on the outskirts of Liverpool. Topics covered are

6th March - Improve your camera skills (including an element of flash photography)
7th March - How to Pose People for Beautiful Images
13th March - Being in Control of the Wedding
14th March - The Business of Photography

The March Series is an affordable set of workshops, with each one costing only £75, or £250 if you book all 4 sessions. All we ask for keeping the price so low is that you bring your own lunch (we'll supply the drinks and biscuits!). For those of you who live some distance from the Merseyside area, we have some local hotels starting from £50 within a 15 minute drive of our base.

Your trainer, Zoe, delivers the workshops from the newer photographer's perspective, having changed career herself to become a professional photographer. She now holds a number of prestigious awards which demonstrate her skill with the camera and with posing couples, and she runs a successful wedding and portrait business in Liverpool, only a few short years from giving up her corporate career. Zoe will share her mistakes as well as her techniques for achieve beautiful imagery, all put from the perspective of someone who understands the journey you yourself are on.

Places for The November Series were snapped up fast, so don't leave it too late to get in touch to book your place - maybe even ask someone to contribute towards the cost of all four workshops for your Christmas present! Please give us a call on 0151 546 4411 to book your place, or to find out more about what is included on each session.

QUICKIE: Posing the Subject for Great Portraits

2009-11-22T21:27:00.004Z

I used to find myself worrying about posing people, I'd freeze, and my stomach would go all tight - sound familiar? So I worked on solving the problem and discovered a few simple tips:

Find yourself a set of poses that work for you and the kind of clients you are working with (I have a set of around 5 poses for babies, for kids, teenagers, and adults, and for couples too.
Wherever you do the shoot, identify the locations you will shoot in and repeat the set of poses in each location - I usually aim to find 3-5 locations, although I will probably only use 3, but the other 2 are emergency locations in case a situation arises that prevents me from using one of my spots.
Relax - no really, RELAX! the more relaxed you feel yourself, the easier you will find it is to help your subjects to relax - what you see in the image reflects you and your mood.
Give your subject a purpose for being where you put them so that they can enjoy the shoot - remember how you feel when you are being photographed? Well, your clients feel like that too, so it's your job as the professional photographer to help them enjoy the process, not make it like it's a trip to the dentist!

As soon as you give yourself a system with posing you will find that the poses come more naturally and before long you'll be enjoying the whole thing!

QUICKIE: Researching the Wedding Industry

2009-11-08T09:30:00.006Z

Yesterday's workshop in the November series went very well, with 7 people attending to learn about being in control of the wedding so that you get the photographs you need as a wedding photographer. We looked at how the day is structured, and how to ensure the bride trusts us as photographers so that they listen and believe us when we say things will happen as they inevitably do (even for the controlling bridezillas!), so that we can work the day for the photo opportunities.

One of the interesting things that always comes out in this workshop is how important it is to understand all aspects of the industry - when did you last network with other vendors in the industry? When did you last buy the magazines that your brides are buying? Do you know the kinds of things that brides are looking at for their wedding, or the fashions that are filtering in from the US and Australia? Being in control requires knowledge - it means knowing the industry inside out, knowing what your brides know, knowing the part other vendors play, and more!

So over the winter months, if you want to increase your control at weddings, get researching the industry, read the bridal magazines, and network with other vendors.

Wedding photography for me is so much more than taking pictures - what is it for you?

Wedding Photography Workshops in Liverpool

2009-10-13T20:12:00.006+01:00

After the bungling photographer in the news last week who was successfully sued by the couple whose wedding photographs he took, we as wedding photographers owe it to couples to make sure that they get the best photographs they can have from their wedding day. It was sad news indeed, no couple deserves to have poor quality photographs, so it's time for beginner wedding photographers to make sure they have the basic skills to make a difference.

But we hear the same complaint time and time again about the training that is on offer. It's either too expensive or it clashes with work commitments for part-time photographers (those who perhaps more than others need to be giving their clients the confidence that they can deliver!)

In an attempt to help move things forward in wedding photography in an affordable and accessible manner we at Dovecote Training have decided that we can and should make a difference. So, if you would like to access a one day workshop on one of the following topics, please get in touch urgently. The first 10 people to get in touch will be given a place on the workshops for just £50 - all we ask is that you bring your own lunch to help keep the price down.

Being in control of the wedding
Improving your camera skills
Posing the couple for beautiful images
The business of photography

These workshops will take place on Saturdays in November - minimum number for the workshops to run is 5 people, maximum per workshop is 10. Book all 4 sessions and pay only for 3.

For more information please contact Zoe or Amy on 0151 546 4411 or email us at info@dovecotetraining.co.uk

These workshop places are likely to go fast at these crazy prices - our last workshop filled up with 17 people in just days after dates were announced, so if you want exceptional, inspirational training that is value for money (let's face it, this really is cheap!!!), then get in touch quickly to book your place. This offer will not be repeated at this price again.

By the way, not all of these workshops involve taking photographs of models, as successful wedding photography is not about taking good images of models, it's about taking good images of people who are not used to being photographed. However, there will be opportunities to work on your photography skills.

QUICKIE: Telling Company Secrets

2009-09-29T13:38:00.005+01:00

I've noticed with a lot of photography talk that there are photographers who view their prices as company secrets - which strikes me as really odd because how on earth can clients find out your prices if you don't advertise them?

Think of it like this - you're out window shopping, and you look in the window of a gorgeous shop with beautiful things you'd love to buy. You can see that there are price labels but they are all turned upside down so that you can't see them, hidden from view. What do you tend to think? My reaction is one of two things - I can't afford the items I am looking at (or the shop wants me to think I can't afford them), or the shop is using this as a way to get me into their store and then start their hard sell on me. Either way, I'm likely to walk on and spend my disposable income elsewhere.

If photographers want to know our prices, they have all kinds of tactics they can employ to find out what they are - the simplest being to ring up and pretend they are a prospective client and ask us what our prices are. So don't lose prospective clients through fear of other photographers finding out what you charge. Be honest, be upfront, tell your clients on your prices and advertise them on your website.

Images from the Urban Shootout

2009-09-13T20:49:00.006+01:00

Just a few quick images from last week's workshop - The Urban Shootout. We started out at our base on the Knowsley Hall Park, and then moved on to Liverpool - it's hard to believe that these first three images were taken in Liverpool City Centre! There's been fabulous feedback from the participants last week, with every saying they had a great time.

On Becoming a Photographer - Change of Plans

2009-09-10T22:33:00.008+01:00

Aspiring photographers, those newer to photography, and photographers moving into social photography tell us they want to be able to take pictures like these - if that includes you then Zoe's workshop, 'On Becoming a Photographer', could be just the thing for you.

This autumn, Zoe is ready to share her knowledge 'On Becoming A Photographer'.

As a result of the fabulous summer of successes with workshops, and following feedback we've received, we are concentrating our efforts for the Autumn on the planned 4 day workshop, The Works - but we're doing this with a difference to make sure we target the right people.

So October 12th-15th (yes, slight change to the dates) we will be running On Becoming A Photographer, which will be the first in The Works series of workshops.

This 4 day workshop will provide the aspiring professional photographer with all the basics you need, from understanding your camera better, through how to set up a fail-safe workflow, finding and using beautiful available light (including an early evening shoot), to implementing studio management software.

There will be guidance on costings, how to price yourself for weddings and portraits, marketing, sales, and running a business. Learn about posing, look for inspiration, and consider styles of photography. And finally, there will portfolio shooting time to put into practice everything we cover over the 4 days.

As part of the workshop there will be a visit to The Walker Art Gallery to consider the possibility of art as inspiration for photography. This will be followed by a shoot around and about Liverpool.

On Becoming a Photographer is the kind of workshop a lot of professional photographers wish they had been able to attend when they were starting out - so don't miss out, book your place now and become the professional photographer you want to be!

The fee for the workshop is very reasonable at only £500 (cheaper than originally planned as we have a new home with space for workshops) - anyone booking by 30th September quoting 'Early Bird' can benefit from a 20% discount. This includes all workshop materials, model costs, lunches and refreshments. A discount has been arranged at local hotels for those requiring overnight accommodation (£65-£70 per night).

There will be no more than 12 people on this workshop. Book now to avoid disappointment - our last workshop sold out in days and was over-subscribed!

Co-ordinating Your Wedding for the Perfect Day - a Workshop for Brides

2009-09-01T09:08:00.000+01:00

Over the summer we have been told by many of this year's brides that we should share our knowledge and experience for how to organise the perfect wedding day. Using knowledge gained from event management over more than 20 years, this one day workshop will help you become your own wedding planner, as well as show you what you need to do to have your day co-ordinated on the day.

This one day workshop includes:

Choosing a theme that will work
Identifying quality suppliers within budget
Working with your vendors to keep them on your side
Creating a timeline for the day that works
Adopting a greener approach to your wedding day
Tips of the trade from industry experts to help your day run smoothly
Saving money on your wedding budget (this section alone will earn you your workshop fee back if you implement the advice - guaranteed!)
Advice on makeup and hair from experts in the industry

The workshop is set in the beautiful grounds of the Knowsley Hall Park, easily accessible by car, rail and plane. Lunch is included, prepared by the Knowsley Hall Chef, and you get to take away a little goody bag of treats, along with a complementary copy of The Wedding Bible by Sarah Haywood (rrp £30). All of this for just £120.

For more information call Zoe on 07880 823211 or 0151 546 4411, or email info@dovecotetraining.co.uk

QUICKIE: Psychology of Marketing Part 2

2009-08-23T20:51:00.008+01:00

Now that you know all about the belongers, emulators and achievers, how can this knowledge help your photography business, particularly in these difficult times?

Evidence from previous recessions suggests that the number of belongers in society increases during tough times, which means that this is a good group to market to. Belongers enjoy safety and security, along with familiarity, and they generally want the same as everyone else. Marketing with this group needs to focus around products that everyone has. Their income level is likely to put them into the C1 bracket, so around £25k per year. They are therefore looking for affordable products that are safe and familiar. This group of society like to hear that the products you are offering are what everyone is going for these days, as they don't like to take risks.

On the other hand, the number of emulators tends to reduce during periods of recession as it is perceived that over-spending is tacky and obscene. So this group is likely to be less obvious to market to during a recession.

The other group that may increase, and the expectation during this downturn is that this group will increase moreso than in previous times of difficulty, is the socially conscious. Environment and green issues, helping others, and simple living are all important to this group. However they will also be looking for genuine and authentic communication of social issues. It's not enough to use the language of the socially conscious, you also need to be able to demonstrate that you are authentic in your approach to the issues that are important to them, such as the environment and working in a green way.

This group value genuine concern for others, demonstrations of giving back to society. So if you are the kind of photographer who is authentic about this approach to life, and can demonstrate a socially conscious way of working, then tell people what you are doing, include your social conscience in your blog posts and on your website so that your target market know that your values are genuine.

Everyone talks in marketing about the USP, the unique selling point, and many photographers will be putting forward very similar USPs, meaning that such USPs have little about them that is actually unique. When you understand who your target market is - the belongers, achievers or socially conscious, you can then consider what true USPs you have. But always remember, your most obvious USP is yourself! If your website, blog posts and marketing materials emphasise your business rather than you, then you may want to consider how you can bring in your own personality so that you can genuinely communicate with your potential clients.

You may want to tell your target group how you can help them, what you can offer them. If you are targetting belongers, then use your website to show them how you fit in, how you present little or no risk to them. Let them know that they will be getting tried and tested products that many people are buying these days.

Alternatively, for those of you that are marketing to the socially conscious, then tell them about how your approach reduces the carbon footprint, or let them know about the social projects you are involved in. This year has been a big year for me giving back, and I have run the Race for Life, as well as taking photographs of the wedding of someone whose life has been touched by cancer in a big way simply for contributions to Cancer Research UK. These are the kinds of things your prospective clients want to hear about.

As with all aspects of marketing, though, you need to know who your target market is so that you can work towards their specific needs. Make sure your values and approaches to your business align with their values, and then you will be able to adopt marketing strategies that work for you and for your clients.

QUICKIE: Psychology of Marketing Part 1

2009-08-23T09:20:00.014+01:00

The summer is nearly over and the wedding fair season approaches - so now is the time to think of how you are going to tell visitors to your stand what you have to offer. Everyone tries to come up with gimmicks, ways to stop the brides and get them talking. Think about whether it's gimmicks you need, or a simple question to encourage people to look through your work.

You might want to simply ask if you can show brides your photographs as they pass along through the stands. Or maybe you think a "roll-up, roll-up" approach suits you better. Whichever style you adopt, make sure it's one that suits your personality, be true to yourself, and make sure your approach fits with the demographic of your target market. Think of it this way, all of us desire things - we may end up purchasing the same thing, but our desire can manifest itself in different ways.

When we are selling we need to ensure that as well as selling our products, our services we also deliver to the desires that people want fulfilled in the purchasing process. For that we need to understand different people and how to put ourselves across to our customers.

It is considered that there are nine categories of consumer, nine sets of desire, if you like, and we need to understand which desires we are aiming our own business at. The categories are survivors, sustainers, belongers, emulators, achievers, I-Am-Me's, experientials, socially conscious, and integrated. These 9 categories are then grouped under the classifications of being need driven, outer directed, inner directed, and combined inner and outer directed.

This is quite a complex area of psychology as some people may think as an achiever, for example, and yet behave as a belonger. However, it is still useful to have a basic understanding of the classifications in order to market your business more specifically.

The survivors and sustainers behave in a need-driven manner - they don't have much disposable income, and they don't want to have heavy debts to pay for after their wedding day. They know that they need to organise their wedding and they need a photographer to take the pictures. However they are more likely to budget for a cheaper photographer, and may not want to spend much time being photographed. Their wedding may be influenced by purchases off ebay, perhaps with a secondhand wedding dress and a suit that can be worn again. Survivors may simply ask a friend to photograph their wedding, whilst the sustainer may pay for a photographer at the low budget end, but will be determined to get everything they can for their money, sometimes demonstrating.

The next group is outer-driven - they are the largest group of society, and include belongers, emulators and achievers. Belongers want to fit in, they want what others in society have so that they don't stand out. And they will follow the rules - so if a magazine article tells them that a photographer should cost them somewhere between £800 and £1,200 they will take that as a rule to follow, if the magazine tells them to give the photographer a list of photographs that they want, they will give the photographer the list of 20 groups the magazine identified.

On the otherhand, emulators are desparate to enter the upper echelons of society, they aspire to be the achievers and are strongly influenced by status and ambition. Some emulators are very conscious of authority, as they see those in authority as being the people who will help them get ahead, whereas others are angry with the way things are, believing that the system will never give them their fair share. From a wedding photography perspective, these clients will want to feel they are getting expensive products at an affordable level.

And then we have the achievers, affluent professionals who have brought their aspirations to reality. They are success oriented, like luxury items, and are prepared to pay for them. They have a desire for bespoke items, and are technology aware, although they don't want fads or anything radically different. From a wedding photography point of view they are more inclined to want classical, elegant products and approaches.

The third group are the inner driven people, the I-Am-Me's, experientials and the socially conscious. The I-Am-Me's are driven by fads and whims, and they tend to be impulsive in their actions. They are prepared to try things out, once, anyway, and may like the unusual, garish and loud. These are difficult people to sell to as it's almost impossible to know what they will want at any given time - however they are only a small section of society so ought not to influence your marketing strategy.

The experientials flit between the egocentric behaviour of the I-Am-Me and more spiritual, socially conscious behaviour. They like direct experience and involvement, and are effectively a middle ground between the I-Am-Me and the socially conscious group. With the socially conscious, they are very focussed on matters relating to society, such as green issues and holistic therapies. They tend towards simple living and natural things, and are interested in society as a whole. These people look for authentic communication from like-minded people who can demonstrate a commitment to similar causes and interests such as an interested in green approaches, so from a wedding photography perspective we need to consider what green credentials we have and whether we can market to this section of society in a genuine way.

The final group is the combined inner and outer directed people who are self-assured, self-reliant, and self-aware as well as being very aware of wider issues of society, capable of leading if necessary. As this is a very small section of society it's risky to base your marketing strategy on these people.

When you are developing your marketing strategy for your wedding fairs it is probably safest to be aiming at the outer directed people, the belongers, emulators, and achievers. Which group is your business targetted at? Consider how you will determine which group people fit into, and how you will talk to them at a wedding show so that they percieve their desires are being fulfilled as they plan and prepare for their wedding.

Light Blue:Photo

2009-06-21T09:40:00.005+01:00

We are proud to announce our affiliation with Light Blue: Photo, the flexible studio management system from Light Blue Software. At Dovecote Training we provide demonstrations of the software at work, showing how you can keep control on all your shoots, orders and contacts. And all participants on our workshops receive a discount code for purchasing the software, helping you to keep on top of your business.

Forthcoming Photography Workshop Dates 2009

2009-06-21T08:22:00.010+01:00

The Poser's Guide to Posing

Limited to just 6 places

12th July - Merseyside - 6 spaces

Due to the limit on numbers, the cost of this workshop is £200 or £150 for SWPP members.

Getting the Basics Right

Understand the full functionality of your camera through instruction on camera skills from a non-techy perspective - for amateurs and those new to the professional side of photography who would benefit from a better understanding of how to use their camera and lenses.

15th July - Merseyside - 8 spaces

Workshop fee - £150 or £100 for SWPP members.

Getting the Business of Photography Right

Putting the systems in place to ensure you have a successful business, including how to ensure your business has direction and focus, information on policies and documentation to help your business function, simple sales and marketing approaches, SEO, studio management and improving your workflow.

22nd July - Merseyside - 12 spaces

Workshop fee - £200 or £150 for SWPP members (includes a discount code for Light Blue: Photo).

Controlling and Co-ordinating Weddings for the Best Photographic Opportunities

We have introduced a new section to this workshop, showing how Light Blue: Photo can help you to be more efficient with your information, which in turn helps you to control weddings more effectively.

9th August - 8 spaces

Workshop fee - £150 or £100 for SWPP members.

Working with Light

Understanding how to use light to create different effects on location - this workshop uses the environment as a studio backdrop and shows how to create different effects through looking for light.

6th September - Merseyside - 8 spaces

Workshop fee - £150 or £100 for SWPP members when based at the Merseyside location.

Urban Portrait Shoot - BIPP Event

9th September - details to be confirmed

Portfolio Building Day

This session is designed to help you build your portfolio and practice your skills, through the use of models and a great location. You can book onto one or two days and you will get the chance to work with another photographer with 3 models per day. Guidance can be offered, but this is not a workshop and so there will not be any tuition on posing or lighting. All relevant tuition is provided on the workshop sessions listed above.

19th or 20th September - Merseyside - 8 spaces per day

Session fee - £100 to cover model costs.

The Works!

A 4 day workshop that includes Posing, Lighting, Controlling Weddings, Looking for Inspiration through a gallery visit, and a Portfolio Building Session, improving your workflow, studio management and the business of photography. The cost is £650 or £550 for SWPP members -

13th - 16th October 2009.

1:1 Consultancy

Please get in touch to take advantage of our 1:1 consultancy service covering the following topics:

Workflow
Studio Management Software (Light Blue: Photo)
Getting the Basics Right with Your Camera
Business Consultancy

Call 0151 546 4411 to book onto any of the courses or to arrange a 1:1 consultancy.

Cecil Beaton: Portraits Exhibition at The Walker Art Gallery

2009-06-17T21:21:00.004+01:00

Everything is starting to build up now for the launch of the Cecil Beaton: Portraits Exhibition at The Walker Art Gallery on 26th June 2009. I feel very privileged to have been invited to work with the Gallery on this wonderful exhibition of one of the photographers who has been very influential on my own work. I will be exhibiting a few small pieces of my own work to demonstrate how Beaton continues to influence contemporary photographers, and I will be photographing the winner of the Iconic Portraits Competition. Additionally, I will be doing some Gallery Talks and a Photography Workshop, so a very busy summer. If you go along to the Gallery say hello if it is one of the days I am there, or leave me a comment on the blog and let me know what you thought.

Photo Pro Magazine

2009-06-11T08:54:00.006+01:00

From May this year I am writing a column in Photo Pro Magazine related to the business of photography, specifically using my many, many years of experience of human relations in the context of photography. The current issue is for sale now in major newsagents.

Cecil Beaton Exhibition at The Walker Art Gallery

2009-05-30T12:16:00.003+01:00

We are all very excited at Zoe Photography and Dovecote Training as Zoe has been invited by the Walker Art Gallery to assist with the Cecil Beaton exhibition which will be at the Gallery this summer from 26th June to 31st August 2009. The Walker Art Gallery will exhibit some of Zoe's work in the area next to the Beaton exhibition to demonstrate how modern photographers are influenced by some of the great photographers of the 20th Century. Additionally there will be a competition to find the Liverpool face of Audrey Hepburn and Marilyn Monroe (who Beaton photographed) and the winners will be photographed in the style of the iconic images of these two wonderful actresses, and then displayed in the gallery.

Zoe will also be running portrait photography sessions where members of the public can be photographed in the style of Cecil Beaton, and their images will then be displayed in the gallery too. The portrait sessions are all free of charge, and images can be purchased through ourselves at a special price of just £50 in celebration of the exhibition.

And finally, Zoe will be working with the gallery over the summer on some workshops linking photography and art - more details to be announced shortly.

Photography Training Dates Filling Up!

2009-05-30T12:06:00.006+01:00

The following dates for Controlling and Co-ordinating Weddings for the Best Photographic Opportunities are now full:

1st June in Merseyside
5th June near Brighton

Spaces are still available for 9th August in the South West. And requests for new dates means we will be adding some more to the diary shortly, possibly with one in Scotland due to popular demand.

Click here for information on other workshops planned for 2009.

Controlling Weddings - Images from Today's Workshop

2009-05-17T23:15:00.005+01:00

Everyone had a great day at the Controlling and Co-ordinating Weddings workshop today, and despite the forecast wall to wall rain we managed to have a good time on the photo shoot part of the day to. Lucy and Jules, a couple whose wedding I will be shooting later this year, kindly volunteered to be the guinea pigs and posed for everyone on the course - I have about 25 images to show them, but here is a small selection of images from the shoot.

The next date for Controlling Weddings is 1st June at our Knowsley Hall Park base and there are still a couple of places left, and in the south, near Brighton, the next workshop is 5th June, and there are 2 places left on that one. Book your place now to avoid disappointment.

QUICKIE: Learning to Critique Your Own Photographs

2009-05-15T09:22:00.019+01:00

As a photographer one of the main things that helps us to improve our photographic work is being able to set aside any emotional attachment to an image and critique it from a totally objective perspective. But it's noticable that not all photographers find it easy to critique. So how can you develop critiquing skills? I was really fortunate to be almost 'forced' by Jerry Ghionis to critique images as he recommended that this is something that would help me develop as a photographer - I have to agree with him having seen my work improve considerably since I started this process, and I would highly recommend Jerry's Ice Society so that you can listen to his critiques on a monthly basis.

The first step is to remove all emotional and subjective attachment. As the photographer you know the situation you took the image in, you know the difficulties of the room layout or location, you know the person who you photographed and how easy or difficult they were to work with, any time constraints you worked within and so on. When we first start to critique it's very easy to find excuses, become defensive, all based on this knowledge of the situation. We may love the image because we think it's one of the best we have taken or we loved the client. All of this emotion and knowledge needs to be removed from the process so that you can look at the image in an objective and detached manner.

Once you have become objective you can then get on with an effective critique process. I find it useful to relax, breathe out and then scan the image to get an overall sense of what I am seeing. I usually start at the top left corner and scan diagonally down to the right bottom corner. Let's use an image of mine that I know has a lot wrong with it!

So, starting at the top left, notice the image below and the potential issues that need to be considered. We are looking at the overall content of the image, and getting a general sense about whether it is well lit, well composed and well posed. Are there any parts of the image that stand out to us? Any elements that work or don't work when you do a quick look at the overall image? It's all about noticing - what do you notice?

A quick scan identifies that we need to look at the lighting, composition and the pose. Having assessed the image in this way we now know what we are looking for - and let's face it, in most images of people we will be looking at the same elements, lighting, composition and pose. There are more issues to consider, however these are the main ones to be concerned about at this stage.

Let's look at the composition first. It's worth blocking off parts of the image to check if the composition works for you.

Our eyes naturally flow from the top left to bottom right so having the bride sit over to the left works in this respect. However, it might have been a stronger image had the dress fallen to the floor in the right corner - as it is, the dress being off the floor makes it feel like the bride is floating. If you hold something over the bottom part of the image so that the dress ends up meeting the bottom edge you will see that immediately the composition is improved.

The other part of the composition that could do with some attention is the balance. There are clearly 2 lights in the image at the rear of the room, however the one on the left is lost behind the post of the bed and the bride's head. Moving a little to the left and coming up a little would have ensured that the two lamps were showing properly and would have provided balance to the image.

Another element to the composition relates to the bulge of the curtain on the right of the image - now I know, having taken the image, that the only way to get sufficient light into the room was to have my assistant hold the curtain back but as I didn't want her in the image I needed to hide her so I put her behind the curtain. I need to use liquify to push the bulge back in again as it distracts from the image. Alternatively, if this isn't possible it's a situation where there is insufficient light and so it's a case of moving on to find the light.

Now, let's look at the lighting. I've posted the image again here so that you don't need to keep scrolling up.

It's obvious from the level of light on the dress on the right that the light is coming from the right hand side. It starts to fall off around the middle of the sofa, and is quite dark on the left side. The bride's face is that critical part of the image, and so it might have worked better to put her on the right side of the sofa so that we could make better use of the light. It's a shame that her face is not well lit, but it doesn't ruin the image. Some fill-in flash may have overcome the problem with the lighting, thus enabling the bride to stay on the left of the image.

So onto the pose. Whilst in some respects the pose works, there are also elements that look uncomfortable for the bride. Firstly, her shoulders are pushed up - along with her hair being pulled across from behind, her neck gets lost, making it look like she has no neck. Simply asking her to lower her shoulders and rise up through her spine, and putting her hair behind her on her left side would have lengthened her neck considerable.

The other main element that doesn't work for me is the right hand as it is coming straight at the camera. This foreshortens the arm as it appears that her hand is coming out of her upper arm. She needed to bring her arm and hand inwards from the elbow so that it just starts to come across her body. The relaxed hand position is good, as it shows she is relaxed, so she simply needs to turn the arm inwards.

The final element of the pose that spoils the image a little is the dress as it goes along the sofa - it appears as if she has lifted her legs up in the pose because of the rise in the dress. This would work so much better if it were flattened, which would also have helped in bringing the dress down towards the floor.

So, having read through a critique of one of my images using the technique of removing the emotion and attachment, scanning the image and considering the issues of lighting, composition and posing, why not try to critique one of your own images. And if you would like me to work with you on the critique of one of your images, please get in touch at info@dovecotetraining.co.uk .

Photography Training Dates for 2009

2009-05-03T13:52:00.010+01:00

As a lot more information gets put onto the blog it's getting harder and harder to find the bits with workshop dates, so here is a quick round-up on what is going on and the number of spaces available as at 3rd May 2009:

Controlling and Co-ordinating Weddings for the Best Photographic Opportunities

17th May - Merseyside - FULL
1st June - Merseyside - 3 spaces left
5th June - Brighton - 2 spaces left
9th August - NEW DATE - South West or South Wales location - 7 spaces left

Workshop fee - £150 or £100 for SWPP members when based at the Merseyside location.

The Poser's Guide to Posing
Limited to just 6 places to allow everyone the opportunity to work with the models and test out the posing techniques.

12th July - Merseyside - 6 spaces

Due to the limit on numbers, the cost of this workshop is £200 or £150 for SWPP members.

Getting the Basics Right
This is to help people fully understand how their camera works in simple, idiot proof language from a non-techy perspective. There is also an introduction to understanding light and how to use your camera using light. This photography workshop is of benefit to amateur photographers and those relatively new to professional photography (or those who have never quite mastered the techy bits!).

15th July - Merseyside - 8 spaces

Workshop fee - £150 or £100 for SWPP members when based at the Merseyside location.

Working with Light
Understanding how to use light to create different effects on location - this workshop uses the environment as a studio backdrop and shows how to create different effects through looking for light.

6th September - Merseyside - 8 spaces

Workshop fee - £150 or £100 for SWPP members when based at the Merseyside location.

Urban Portrait Shoot - BIPP Event

9th September - details to be confirmed

Portfolio Building Day
This session is designed to help you build your portfolio and practice your skills, through the use of models and a great location. You can book onto one or two days and you will get the chance to work with another photographer with 3 models per day. Guidance can be offered, but this is not a workshop and so there will not be any tuition on posing or lighting. All relevant tuition is provided on the workshop sessions listed above.

19th or 20th September - Merseyside - 8 spaces per day

Session fee - £100 to cover model costs.

The Works!
We are currently looking into a 4 day workshop that includes Posing, Lighting, Controlling Weddings, Looking for Inspiration through a gallery visit, and a Portfolio Building Session, with a little bit of Lightroom and Photoshop (including how to improve your workflow). The cost of this will be £650 or £550 for SWPP members - the current proposed dates if enough interest is generated are 13th - 16th October 2009.

It's nice to be appreciated

2009-05-03T13:44:00.003+01:00

I love what I do so it never really feels like hard work, but even so, it's lovely when people take the time to offer up feedback on a workshop. So it was really touching that everyone on last week's 'Controlling and Co-ordinating Weddings for the Best Photographic Opportunities' workshop had something really nice to say. Here is just a sample of the positive feedback I received - thank you everyone!

'Zoë inspires confidence and makes it all seem so simple. I have spent a few minutes going through my images and have to say I am quite pleased with my efforts. It is all down to Zoë's direction though, that will be the hard part to take away. I have never done anything like this before, normally shooting horses and some other events.

For those of you booked on the later days, you will have a blast. For those of you who are not, too bad!'
Michael Martin, Shropshire

'Definitely a worthwhile investment, Zoe's knowledge and teaching methods are excellent.'
Kris Pendlebury, Merseyside

'The session could have been called "Everything you wanted to know about wedding photography, but were afraid to ask". It helped a great deal having excellent models, and of course a seasoned trainer. Big thanks to Zoë'
Stu Walker, Scotland

Controlling and Co-ordinating a Wedding for the Best Possible Photography Opportunities

2009-04-29T21:54:00.006+01:00

Today a group of photographers from across the country joined together at Stanley Grange for the Controlling and Co-ordinating Weddings workshop - and as part of the workshop we spent an hour photographing a couple so that Zoe could demonstrate the technique she uses to get some wow images for the album in a short period of time. Here is a selection of what Zoe took today.

Photography Workshops Planned Near Liverpool

2009-04-25T08:01:00.005+01:00

Dates are being planned for the following workshops at our base on the outskirts of Liverpool.

The Posers Guide to Posing - Gaining an understanding of what works when posing people
Getting the Basics Right - Understanding your camera and working with light
Portfolio Building Day - Working with models to build your portfolio

Please get in touch to register your interest in any of the above workshops - dates will be announced shortly for June-September. All workshop places are £150.00 during 2009

Photography Workshop Success

2009-04-20T09:07:00.014+01:00

At the weekend it was a get together of North West Photographers who are members of the SWPP - and we decided to do a get together with a difference! As some of us have training experience as well as good photographic skills we did a session all about finding light and posing using the light. Around 20 photographers joined in the fun over the day and produced some fabulous images in the perfect weather. Here is a small selection of my images of Alice, Alex and Scott - and a huge thank you to all three for helping out all day long. Thanks also to Andy McDonald for his help with the event.

Controlling Weddings - Date in the South

2009-04-14T08:43:00.005+01:00

Date: 5th June 2009

Venue: Brighton

Places: 5

Please get in touch if you are interested in attending our Controlling and Co-ordinating Weddings for Best Photographic Opportunities course in the South. We have been asked to put the workshop on in the Brighton area on 5th June, but numbers will be limited more than usual as we won't have the usual space that we have in Liverpool.

So if you'd like to be one of just 5 people who get a place on this select session, please get in touch now! Two places have already gone and we haven't advertised it yet!

Controlling and Co-ordinating a Wedding for the Best Possible Photography Opportunities: New Dates

2009-04-06T11:14:00.005+01:00

So, by popular demand, more dates are now available for this one day seminar all about controlling and co-ordinating things on the wedding day so that you can have the best possible opportunities to create great photographs for your clients.

Wednesday 29th April 2009, 9.30am - 4.30pm

Monday 1st June 2009, 9.30am - 4.30pm

Possible additional date:
I have been asked if I will run a session in the Brighton area, so if you are based in the South and would like to join us for this, the proposed date is Friday 5th June 2009, 9.30 - 4.30pm.

The dates have been planned to give you the best chance to apply your learning straight away with weddings you have booked into your diary this year.

And remember, it only took 26 hours for the course we announced this weekend to fill up, so make sure you book straight away to avoid disappointment. There are already a lot of people booking onto these new dates so don't delay!

Prices remain the same - £150, or £75 for SWPP members.

Seminar Date Full!

2009-04-05T22:47:00.004+01:00

OK, so yesterday I get asked to run a seminar, today I advertise it, and tonight it's full! I can't believe that 10 places have been snatched up so quickly! And there are 4 people on the list for the next date when it's arranged.

Please email info@dovecotetraining.co.uk to register your interest for future dates.

Controlling and Co-ordinating a Wedding for the Best Possible Photography Opportunities

2009-04-05T08:59:00.003+01:00

With May already being a busy month with lots of weddings, we weren't expecting to be running a photography workshop, but due to many requests from SWPP members in the North West we have decided to put on a special event aimed at helping photographers take control for fabulous photographic opportunities at weddings.

Enjoy a fun and informative 1 day seminar with Zoë of Zoë Photography where she will share with you how she controls and co-ordinates a wedding so that she can have the photographic opportunities she requires to deliver fabulous results for her clients.

Zoë will tell you about her emergency kit she carries around with her to sort out the little problems the bride might have; she will share her timeline for how she helps the couple understand how the day’s timings need to fit in around the photography; and she will show you a simple process with posing and lighting that helps her to get lots of great images for the album in just 30 minutes of alone time with the couple.

Additionally Zoë will show you how she acts as an ‘on-the-day’ wedding co-ordinator to help the day go smoothly and keep the couple happy. All of Zoë's approach on the wedding day is to develop and gain trust so that her clients listen to her and do as she asks.

When: Sunday 17th May 2009 - 9.30am - 4.30pm

Where: The Zoe Photography base on the Knowsley Hall Park

How much: Just £150 or £75 for SWPP members

Numbers are restricted

Email info@dovecotetraining.co.uk for more information or to book your place - and remember, many places have already gone to those who asked for this event, so numbers are very limited!

Popular Lighting and Posing Photography Course

2009-04-03T07:51:00.004+01:00

Unbelievably, the 24 places on the 'Finding the Light and Posing Using the Light' workshop on 19th April have gone and the 2 sessions on the day are already full and we only started to market it 3 weeks ago! Wow, that is fabulous! So it looks like more dates need adding to the diary already. Dates will be announced soon, but if you want to be one of the first to hear about our future events then send us an email to go on our list.

Finding the Light and Posing Using the Light

2009-03-31T20:33:00.004+01:00

On Sunday 19th April a group of photographers from across the North West are coming together for a session delivered by Zoe Richards and Andy McDonald for the North West Professional Photographers Association looking at how to find the light and how to pose using the light. The session has proved to be very popular, with 20 people already booked on for one of 2 half day workshops. The workshops are taking place at Zoe's location, and are using real people as the models to show how to pose using simple techniques.

Planned Photography Training for 2009

2009-03-23T09:39:00.003Z

The following sessions are planned for 2009 to help you improve your photography skills and to take better photographs:

Getting the most out of your camera - 1 to 1 training for people new to digital photography
The Poser's Guide - understanding simple posing techniques
Finding and Using the Light - understanding how to find and use light to create fabulous photographs
Portfolio Building - a day with models to give you the chance to build your portfolio. Little guidance is given on these sessions so that you can claim fully that they are your images. The session is organised to bring you models you can work with in a fabulous location so that you just have to turn up and shoot.

These workshops are for groups of 4 to 6 participants and are aimed at new and developing photographers.

For more information or to register your interest please email info@dovecotetraining.co.uk

What's been happening?

2009-03-23T09:02:00.005Z

It's been a busy couple of months since we moved and settled into our new home on the Knowsley Hall Park. We have had some 1 to 1 sessions for people with new cameras, helping them to get to grips with how to get the most out of their new digital camera. And we have had 2 weeks with a work experience student showing her what it's like to be a photographer, the kinds of jobs that come in and how to deliver the best possible service to clients.

Throughout the winter Zoe has been delivering a workshop on behalf of the National Conservation Centre, Liverpool linked in to the Philip Jones Griffiths exhibition, showing people how we can create tomorrow's recollections through the photographs we take today. And finally, Zoe has organised some tours around The Walker Art Gallery and The Lady Lever Art Gallery, looking at the inspiration and influence art can have on our photography.

Zoe has been invited to write a series of articles for Photo Pro Magazine over the next 12 months, which is very exciting, the first one to be featured this summer. She has also been invited to help a fledgling group of professional photographers in the North West, the North West Professional Photographers' Association, and will be delivering a workshop alongside Andy McDonald on Sunday 19th April on Finding the Light and Posing Using the Light.

In the summer Zoe will be judging an amateur photography competition on behalf of Willowbrook Hospice in St Helens, and Zoe has put up a prize for the winner of a 1 to 1 session so that they can learn some new skills with the camera that they win. And finally, Zoe and Rob have been invited to deliver photoshop training to businesses who produce in-house magazines so that they can make sure their photographs look the best they can in their magazines.

Looking to the future, dates are being planned for small groups of 4 people to come and learn about light and posing with Zoe over the summer and autumn - email to register your interest - info@dovecotetraining.co.uk

Plans for 2009

2009-02-01T14:30:00.002Z

We are thankfully settled into our new home now, based on the Knowsley Hall Park, home to Lord and Lady Derby. It's such a wonderful place to work, tranquil, relaxing, and so beautiful. We can go for short walks at lunchtime (it's tempting to go for long walks, but we'll never get any work done!), and we can look out of the windows whilst we work and see the central courtyard and dovecote. We're very lucky to be in such an amazing place.

Plans are forming for the year - we are putting together our range of NVQs, and have some photography training planned too. We are currently in discussion with relevant bodies to be on their prefered supplier lists, and are looking at collaborations and consortiums for future working on management and leadership development.

The list of photography courses will be uploaded later this week, and we look forward to posting information on the NVQs in another week or two.

Dovecote Training - new name, new blog!

2008-12-13T21:34:00.001Z

We are ready to announce our new name! From 1st January 2009 we will be known as Dovecote Training. We are currently talking with a number of bodies with a view to delivering an amazing range of courses.

The new name links in to the name of our new home at Dovecote Court - more information on where that is soon!

More information in the next week.

National Conservation Centre

2008-11-22T09:55:00.001Z

Exciting news for the new year is a series of workshops that Zoe will be running for the National Conservation Centre connected to their current exhibition called Recollections. This is an exhibition of the work of Phillip Jones Griffiths, one of the most influential photographers of the late 20th Century. Zoe's workshops will look at how we create tomorrow's recollections from today's photographs, using the exhibition as inspiration for people attending.

For more information and to book a place, contact The National Conservation Centre.

Photography Work Experience

2008-11-21T18:18:00.000Z

We have had Hannah working with us on work experience from Southport College this year, which was great fun. She has such a lovely personality and was a pleasure to work with, and she is so eager to learn about photography too.

Our next work experience student is Mary who is at Formby High School 6th Form. I'm really looking forward to having Mary working alongside me and learning from me - she's very entertaining. And hopefully we will capture some images of Mary at work assisting me on some shoots too. Mary will be working on one particular shoot so that she can learn from the stage where the client (a barber shop quartet) gives us the brief, through the creation of the story, to the point where we do the shoot and work on the images.

And then the next work experience student we have is Anna from Greenbank High School in Southport. Anna has already taken some amazing photographs which she brought along to her interview to show me. And she showed in the interview that she is eager to learn and develop an understanding of what happens in a photographic studio. So again, another chance to work with a great girl and help her think about her future career.

We are looking to take on another 2 work experience students next year, so get in touch if you think you have what it takes to spend 10 or so days with us and learn about photography.

Dovecote Training

2008-11-21T18:17:00.000Z

Keep up to date with developments and dates for workshops and courses by bookmarking the blog for Dovecote Training.

Pauline and Zoe will also be uploading some hints and tips to help develop staff through the recession without having to spend too much.